Indian Oil sardine

In the group-wise composition of the world marine fish production, Clupeoids occupy an unassailable position at the top and India is no exception. This group which contributes on an average about 32% to the annual marine fish production is mainly represented by the sardines of which the Indian oil-sardine, Sardinella longiceps, subscribes to the best part of it. The importance of this fish in the socio-economic life of the fishing community of the Malabar coast is very aptly expressed as Kudumbam pularthi (= provider for the family). The oil-sardine fishery during 1950-1968 period has contributed annually on an average to the extent of 18% to total marine fish landings in India. It is, however, subjected to such wild fluctuations that it has been found to vary between 1% and 33%. It is this undependable and unpredictable nature of the fishery that first drew the concern of Day (1865) and it was left to Hornell (1910b) to emphasise the need for a scientific study which led to the pioneer research report by him and Nayudu (1924). Except for the studies of Devanesan (1943), no important work appeared till almost the beginning of fifties. After the establishment of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Station in 1947, greater attention on various biological aspects was given resulting in the contributions of Nair (1949 et seq.), Chidambaram (1950) and Nair & Chidambaram (1951). The synopsis of information on the biology and fishery presented by Nair (1960) to the ‘World Scientific Meeting on the Biology of Sardines and Related Species’ under the as spices of FAO provided a clear account of the progress made till then. The rapid strides made subsequent to this can be easily evaluated when the history of research contributions of the last 5 decades beginning from the studies of Hornell and Nayudu (loc. cit.) relating chiefly and directly on the oil-sardine of India