Observations on the Mackerel Fishery of the Netravati Estuary, West Coast, South India

The present communication relates to observations on an unusual fishery of the Indian Mackerel Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier) in the Netravati estuary near Mangalore, lasting for about nine weeks from the latter half of January 1958. Normally the mackerel fishery is most active along the Konkan, Kanara, and Kerala coasts during the September-March period, and the catches comprise mostly immature forms ranging from 180-215 mm. in total length. There are no previous records of mackerel fishery of any appreciable extent from our estuaries, although Pradhan (1956) has recorded the fish entering the estuarine waters of the Kali River at Karwar