CMFRI Marine Fisheries Policy Series No.15; Fishery Management Plan for Palk Bay Blue Swimming Crab

Josileen, Jose and Padua, Shelton and Sasikumar, Geetha and Varghese, Eldho and Mohamed, K S (2019) CMFRI Marine Fisheries Policy Series No.15; Fishery Management Plan for Palk Bay Blue Swimming Crab. ICAR - Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi.

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Abstract

Crabs are widely distributed in Indian seas and form minor fishery at various regions along the east and west coasts. Crabs contribute a share of 11.1 % in total crustacean landings, with an approximate production of 53476 tonnes in 2017. Three portunid crabs, Portunus pelagicus, Portunus sanguinolentus and Charybdis feriatus form the majority of the regular crab landings in India. The demand for Portunus pelagicus, commonly known as Blue Swimming Crab (BSC) is consistently increasing ever since its export started in the beginning of the century. The State of Tamil Nadu is leading in marine crab landings particularly for the blue swimming crab production in India. The major landing centres for BSC are located in the Palk Bay (PB) and Gulf of Mannar (GoM) areas of Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai and Thanjavur districts of the state. BSC products form the most important internationally traded commodity from the region and contribute significantly to the livelihood of crab merchants and crab fishers of the area. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has been monitoring the BSC fishery and studying the biology the species along with other marine resources. During the last decade of the 20th century more focused and in-depth studies have been conducted on Portunus pelagicus and established the fact that apart from its fisheries importance, BSC is also a suitable candidate species for farming. This document gives insights on BSC fishing zones, major fishing craft and gears, area wise and centre wise production details, trade, processing industry and export markets. Furthermore, it elucidates the complete life cycle of the species including its growth and reproductive biology as these form essential and integral inputs while formulating the management decisions. As BSC is a highly valuable commodity it necessitates urgent attention to its responsible exploitation and action plan for the judicious management of the resource to accomplish BSC as a sustained fishery. Conclusions have drawn based on the facts and evidences, acquired from exhaustive field and laboratory studies and guidance on a Fishery Management Plan for Palk Bay BSC fishery are presented.

Item Type:	Book
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Marine Fisheries Policy Series; crab; Palk Bay Blue Swimming Crab
Subjects:	CMFRI Publications > CMFRI Marine Fisheries Policy Series Marine Fisheries > Policy Crustacean Fisheries > Crabs Marine Fisheries
Divisions:	CMFRI-Kochi > Marine Capture > Crustacean Fisheries Division Subject Area > CMFRI > CMFRI-Kochi > Marine Capture > Crustacean Fisheries Division CMFRI-Kochi > Marine Capture > Crustacean Fisheries Division Subject Area > CMFRI-Kochi > Marine Capture > Crustacean Fisheries Division
Depositing User:	Arun Surendran
Date Deposited:	28 Dec 2019 07:04
Last Modified:	18 Apr 2024 10:01
URI:	http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/id/eprint/13991

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