Studies on the plankton of the North Kanara coast in relation to the pelagic fishery

The role of plankton in the economy of the seas needs no emphasis. The North Kanara coast supports a rich fishery for mackerel which is a plankton feeder. How-, ever, there is no account of plankton of this stretch of the west coast of India. The physico-chemical characteristics of the coastal waters of this region and the meteorological factors have been dealt with in detail by the author (1963) in a separate account. The present study relates to the seasonal fluctuations in the standing crop of plankton as well as those of the main groups constituting the phyto- and zooplankton, the phyto-zooplankton relationship and the relation of the plankton to the hydroiogical factors. Certain observations on the feeding habits of mackerel and oil sardines and the relation of the fishery to plankton and hydroiogical conditions are also included in this account