Marine fishery resources of Kerala present status and scope for development

The Western seaboards of most continents are known to have some of the world's highly productive fisheries. A significant element of these resources consists of clupeoid fishes with short food chains. We have the well known examples of the Peruvian anchoveta and the California sardine on the west coast of the Americas and the Pilchard on the south west coast of Africa. Kerala State, situated on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent (Lat. 08° 20' to 12°30') is also known for its fish wealth dominated by the oil sardine. The basic factor favouring the high productivity in all these areas is the phenomenon of upwelling and the production cycle triggered by thi