The seasonal fishery for Penaeus indicus along the southwest and southeast coasts of India

Fishery for the prawn Penaeus indieus along the TrivandrumKanyakumari \nand Manappad coasts is seasonal, commencing by May-June \nand closing by October-November. Annual landing of the species ranged \nfrom 559 t to 1204 t during 1981-86. This rlShery commences by the onset \nof the southwest monsoon, and is cpnstituted by large-sized prawns \n(modes ]51-155 nun to 171-175 mm in males and 196-200 nun in fema1es). \nThe high perceniage (48%) of maturing and mature praWfl.s indicates a \nbreeding population contributing to the fishery. Occurrence of P. indicus \npopulation in sequence along the fishing centres of the southwest and \nsoutheast coasts suggests probable migration of the prawn from the \nfonner to the latter coast during the fishing season. This confirms the \npresently believed migratory behaviour of the species.