Large scale movements of Caranx sexfasciatus Quoy & Gaimard into the inshore areas of Madras

During the routine observations on the fishery along the Madras coast the authors visited the Mullikuppam landing centre in Madras City and observed the shore seine catches landed on 12th December, 1968. In Madras shore seines are operated within a distance of 1 km. from the shore at a depth of 4 to 8 metres during the anchovy fishery season, extending from November to May, While the catches in most of the nets on that day were anchovies, a huge quantity of Caranx sexfasciatus was observed in a haul which consisted of 925 fish weighing a total of nearly 3 tons. Enquiries with an elderly fisherman on the spot revealed that although the fish occur in large quantities in shore seine during this season in certain years no such huge catches were witnessed anytime in the past