Gillnet tuna fisheries in the Coastal waters of India: intensity and spatial spread of the fisheries with implications of non-target and sensitive species interactions.

Artisanal large mesh pelagic drift gillnet fisheries accounts for nearly 34% of the Indian Ocean tuna catches. India is one of the major coastal countries employing gillnets for harvesting tuna and tuna like fishes. Cooccurrence of non-tuna species including endangered threatened and protected species is universal in this fishery although the rates of incidence varies with the fishing area, time and intensity of fishing. The study aimed at updating the dynamics of large mesh pelagic gillnet fisheries of northwest coast of India through skipper supplied data for the period of 2011 to 2022 together with analysis of the landing data of large mesh pelagic gillnets of India obtained by the ICAR-CMFRI through the multistage, stratified random sampling survey protocols for the corresponding period. The study reveals the patterns of landing by the gear across the four regions of India’s coast over the seasons and the pattern of catches in the observed gillnetters during the period. Tunas are the major group caught in this gear followed by other large pelagics like seer fishes, leather jackets, billfishes etc. Sensitive bycatches like sharks, turtles and cetaceans are lesser compared to other gillnet fisheries in the region.