Status of non-penaeid prawn fishery of India and stock assessment of Acetes indicus Milne Edwards off Maharashtra

The non-penaeid prawns, with the average annual catch of 57 000-tonnes, formed 3.7% of the tora) marine fish protluclion in India. Maharashtra contributed nearly 78%, followed by Gujarat (11.45%), and Andhra Pradesh (4.68%). In IMaharashtra, Acetes indicus with the average annual catch of 24 275 tonnes in 1980-82, was the most abundant species. It fortned 74.4% of the Acefes- landings and 51.2% of the total non-penaeid prawn catch. In Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh Aceies spp. formed 41 and 48.74% of the non-penaeid prawn catch respectively. Stock assessment of A. indicus was done for Maharashtra using length-based methods. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters, La and K for the species are 31.1 mm and 39.65 mm, and 3.19 and 3.22 for males and females respectively. The high instantaneous natural mortality coefficient (M) — 10.87 for the males and 8.22 for the females — are attributed to the short lifespan and the lower trophic position of the species. The total instantaneous mortality coefficient (Z) is 13.43 and 10.62, and the exploitation rate is 0.19 and 0.23 for the males and females respectively. The MSY and the mean bioiiiass for the species are 52 000 tonnes and 6 736.7 tonnes respectively. To reach the MSY, effort will have to be increased by a factor of 24, which however does not seem to be possible, as A. indicus is a by-catch in the Jol net, the target fish being Bombay duck. Since the Bombay duck fishery is facing overfishing problem it is advised not to increase the effort of dol nets for the further exploitation of A. indicus