Unusual heavy landing of the toll shad, Tenualosa toli in some centres along the Palk bay near Mandapam

Most of the earlier observations on the bumper catch of fishes of Mandapam area along the Palk Bay were reccorded exclusively from the landings of machanised trawlers. It was interesting to observe an unusually heavy landings of the toli shad, Tenualosa toli locally called 'Ullam' by the shoreseine units on 14-3-'97 from four landing centres along the Palk Bay viz., DarhavalasI, Alagathanvalasai, Irumeni and Chokkapillalmadam. In the first week of March' 97 the species was sporadic In the shoreseine catches. Subsequent week witnessed a steep increase in the landings with the catch ranging between 1 to 3 tonnes per shoreseine units