Stock status indicators for Cobia Rachycentron canadum in the Indian EEZ

Ganga, U and Ghosh, Shubhadeep and Azeez, P A and Rajesh, K M and Margaret Muthu Rathinam, A and Vinothkumar, R and Mini, K G and Abdussamad, E M and Rohit, Prathibha (2024) Stock status indicators for Cobia Rachycentron canadum in the Indian EEZ. Indian Journal of Fisheries, 71 (71). pp. 43-47. ISSN 0970 - 6011

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Abstract

Regional fisheries for cobia (Rachycentron canadum) along the Indian coast was assessed using length-based stock status indicators. Drift gill nets-cum-hook and line fisheries landed bigger sized cobia as bycatch while multi-day mid-water trawls landed juveniles. Dominant size groups in the landings along the west coast were 40–160 cm and 60-120 cm on the east coast. Gear selectivity operating at regional levels because of the multi-gear fisheries and fishing grounds of the Indian EEZ affects the size distribution of fish caught. Compared to drift gill net-cum-hooks and line units targeting large pelagics in deeper waters, smaller size groups of cobia dominated as bycatch in trawls. The length at first capture (Lc50) being smaller than the estimated length at first maturity of about 60 cm, implementing size-based output controls such as Minimum Legal Size (MLS) is suggested. The indicators for fishing mortality rates (Fmax) on the cobia stocks were on the higher side in certain locations only, but being part of the multi-species bycatch mix, there is little scope to introduce fishing gear regulations solely for cobia. However, the option of short-term, targeted spatiotemporal effort regulations with fishers’ participation can be explored, based on the stock assessments made at local or regional levels.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Cobia; Fishery indicators; Length-based indicators; Minimum Legal Size; Rachycentron canadum; Stock status
Subjects:	Oceanography > Indian EEZ Fish and Fisheries > Fish biology > age and growth Demersal Fishes > Cobia Marine Fisheries > Stock Assessment
Divisions:	CMFRI-Madras (Chennai) CMFRI-Mandapam CMFRI-Mangalore CMFRI-Veraval CMFRI-Visakhapatnam
Depositing User:	Arun Surendran
Date Deposited:	01 Apr 2024 11:18
Last Modified:	11 Apr 2024 08:42
URI:	http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/id/eprint/18246

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