Live-bait resources and development

The success of the pole and line fishery of Lakshadweep depends, among other factors, directly on the availability in sufficient quantities of suitable live-bait fishes around the islands. Information on the live-bait resources of Lakshadweep is limited to a few reports from Minicoy- Jones (1958, 1964) described the fishing method, storage and utilisation of bait fish and Iisted the various species of live-bait fishes of Lakshadweep. Jones (1961 a, 1961 b) has predicted the potentialities of Spratelloides delicatulus and S. japonicus as live-bait for pole and line fishery for skipjack much earlier than mechanised fishing was introduced in the northern islands of Lakshadweep. Thomas (1964) made some observations on the fluctuations in the live-bait fishes at Minicoy. Fluctuations in the seasonal availability of live-baits at Minicoy during the years 1981-85 has been presented by Pillai et al. (1986). However, details of exploited bait fish resources and seasonal abundance of different bait species around the various islands is still lacking