Results of bottom trawling by FORV Sagar Sampada with special reference to catch and abundance of edible crustaceans

A detailed study of the crustacean components of the trawl catches taken by FORV Sagar Sampada between 30 and 450 m depth during cruises 1 to 50, (February, 1985 to August, 1988) has ken carried out. Analysis of the catches of 378 trawl hauls spread over the entire coastline of India reveals that the existence of appreciable quantities edible crustaceans which could be commercially exploited beyond the conventional fishing grounds, is highly localized and depth-specific. The productive areas for prawns, lobsters and crabs as revealed by the survey have been indicated, together with information on important species and their sizes. On the west coast, the coastal prawn Parapenaeopsis stylifera ('Karikkadi') has been encountered in varying densities in the offshore waters upto 53 m depth during the southwest monsoon period almost as a continuous belt between Quilon and Marmagoa