Kerala - Kochi   

Trawling has depleted resources: study

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: A study conducted by the Ocean Science and Technology Cell (OSTC) at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) has found that most of the resources in the sea have been exploited above optimum level due to indiscriminate trawling.

"Immense quantities of eggs and juveniles of commercially important fin and shellfish are destroyed as a result of bottom trawling. Every year a considerable quantity of discards is thrown back into the sea by fishing trawlers due to their non-edible nature, wrong species and size, lack of storage facilities onboard and low market value," says the study.

The study was conducted along the coasts of Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Experts found that the disproportionate destruction of non-target organisms could cause serious biodiversity loss in coastal water.

Research on marine benthos revealed that the fishing pressure from trawlers along Kerala and Karnataka coasts was very high.

The study found that the survival of crabs, stomatopods, echinoderms, gastropods and sea snakes was quite long among discards while the post fishery survival of fishes and shrimps was almost negligible.

Scientists found that this situation could lead to transformation of otherwise stable mature ecosystem to immaturity and inefficiency over the years.

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