Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Minicoy Research Centre Activities and achievements

Lakshadweep is a group of scattered islands in the Arabian Sea lying in between 8° and 12°30' N and 71° and 74° E. Of these, only ten islands are inhabited. An organised fishery for commercially important tunas such as skipjack and yellowfin are in vogue only at Minicoy and Agatti Islands, Suheli Pars and reef areas at Cheriyapanium and Baliyapanium. Monitoring of the trend of fishery, and collection and dissemination of information on the stocks of these species in and around the Eh^^ of Lakshadweep are of prime importance for the development of the existing small scale fishery in these islands. The coral islands of Lakshadweep group with their extensive coral reefs and lagoons harbour a variety of fauna with complex interrelationships in the reef ecosystem. Many of the ichthyofauna inhabiting these ecosystems are being used as "tuna live-baits" in the Pole and Line fishery which is the major fishing method employed in these islands for harvesting tunas