Catch Composition Analysis of Trawl Fishery at Veraval Harbour, Gujarat, India

Abstract

The present study of catch composition of single-day trawlers was conducted at Veraval harbour one of the major fish landing centers of Gujarat as well as India which is situated on the north western coast of, India. The data was gathered from a total of 84 trawlers (single day) operated at Veraval harbour from November 2021 to April 2022. A total of 75 species were identified belonging to a total of 20 orders and 50 families including 62 species of finfish, 11 species of crustacean, and 2 species of cephalopod. Carangidae, Sciaenidae and Penaeidae were the dominant families landed from single-day trawlers. In terms of weight, the catch was dominated by the crustacean, especially by Acetes sp. from the depth ranging between 20 to 30 m off the Veraval coast. The maximum catch of Acetes sp was recorded in pre-monsoon. Ribbonfish and Croakers were dominant groups of finfish that contributed more than 50% of the total finfish landings. The maximum 45 numbers of species were recorded in November month and the maximum 65 numbers of species were recorded in depths ranging from 30 to 50 m.