Bumper catch of oil sardine Sardinella longiceps along Cuddalore coast

The oil sardine Sardinella longiceps constitutes \nthe most important pelagic resource sustaining the \nmarine fishery on the west coast of India. Two \ndecades ago, the occurrence of this species along \nthe east coast was considered sporadic and rare. In \nearly eighties, there was report on the unusual \nlanding of this species along Puducherry region. Over \nthe years, there has been an increase in the landings \nof this species on the east coast especially along \nthe Coromandal coast. In July 2008, there were \nreports in the local daily news papers that the oil \nsardine shoals were found to move towards the shore \noff Devanampattinam fishing village and small boys \nwere also able to have easy access to the fish shoal \nwho handpicked the sardines. Some fishes were also \nstranded and found dead on the beach. This \noccurrence is linked to upwelling phenomenon which \nbrings the oxygen depleted cold water from the \nbottom of the sea due to churning by the water \ncurrent.