The tuna resources

Abstract

^ s a part of the National policy for the judicious exploitation of the living resources of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of India, greater emphasis is to be given for the development of tuna fisheries, both in the artisanal sector and high seas. Despite the fact that the past two decades have witnessed the augmentation of indegenous production of tunas in the small scale Hshery sector, through mechanisation and increased effort through drift gilhietting, pole and line (live-bait) fishing and purse seining, tunas remain to be one of the least exploited scombroid resources of Indian Seas accounting for 2.11% of the total marine fish catch in India at the 1984 level, although there has been an appreciable increase in the landings of coastal species of tunas during the last IS years.