[ R E P R I N T EFROM
D
TIIE
-
\
\
Journnl o f rhc Rornhny Nnt~rrnlHistory Society, V o l . 56, N o . I , April 1959.1
OBSERVATIONS ON THE MACKEREL FISHERY OF THE NETRAVATI
M. H. DHULKHED,
ESTUARY, WEST COAST, SOUTH INDIA. By P. C. GEORGE,
AND V. RAMAMOHANA
RAO. (With three text-figures).
[&om the
JOURNAL OF THE
BOMBAY
NATURAL
HIST. SOC., April 1959.1
-w
Observations on the Mackerel
Fishery of the Netravati Estuary,
West Coast, South India'
BY
P. C. GEORGE,
M. H. DHULKHED,
AND V. RAMAMOHANA
RAO
Central Marine Fisheries Research Unit, Mangalore-I
(With three text-figures)
The present communication relates to observations on an unusual
fishery of the Indian Mackerel Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier) in the
Netravati estuary near Mangalore, lasting for about nine weeks from
the latter half of January 1958. Normally the mackerel fishery is
most active along the Konkan, Kanara, and Kerala coasts during
period, and the catches comprise mostly
the
immature forms ranging from 180-215 mm. in total length. There are
no previous records of mackerel fishery of any appreciable extent
from our estuaries, although Pradhan (1956) has recorded the fish
entering the estuarine waters of the Kali River at Karwar, ascending
dong the tidal current up to a distance of 15. miles during April and
and
May when the range of salinity of the river is between 29a736/00
34.6 "/,,.
The estuary at Mangalote is formed by .the Confluence of two
rivers, the Gurpur River from the dorth and the Buntwal or Netravati
River from the south, and is situated a few furlongs south of
Mangalore town. The Gurpur River is comparatively narrower and
more shallow. The active zone of the usual estuarine fishery in the
Netfavati River is limited to the area in between the Ullal bridge and
the river mouth. The estuary is rich and supports an active fishery
h o s t throughout the year. During the monsoon months the catches
are mostly Etroplus suratensis, Mugil spp., Gerres filamentosus,
Sillago spp., Platycephalus spp., and many species of cat fishes. In
the post-monsoon months, with increased salinity and other favourable conditions, more and more marine species enter the estuary and
~e~tember- arch
a
Published with the kind. permission of the Chief Research Otficer, Central
Marine Fisheries Research Station, Mandapam.
C11