Abrupt set-backs in the fisheries of the Malabar and Kanara coasts and" red water " phenomenon as their probable cause

Abstract

In the course of fish population studies along the West Coast in 1948, it was observed that there was an abrupt and a severe set-back in the fishery by about the middle of October within two weeks of the commencement of a bumper season. While we were investigating the probable cause of this dimunition, Mr. T. P. Bharatan, Assistant Director of Fisheries, Madras, drew our attention to the occurrence of the" red water" phenomenon at Hosdurg, one of the important fishing centres in the South Kanara District, where the fishing operations had practically come to a standstill.