Goat fish resources of India with special reference to its occurrence in the shrimp trawlers at Sakthikulangara and Cochin Fisheries Harbour

The goatfishes or red mullets of the family Mullidae form one of the important ground fish resources along the Indian coasts. A comparative study in the catch indices points out that an annual average of 3,700 t were landed along the east coast during the period 1978—'87 accounting to more than 70% of the total goat fish landings from the seas around India. The percentage composition analysis at Cochin Fisheries. Harbour indicated highly fluctuating trend in the monthly catches were recorded and tabulated. Upeneus vittatus was the predominant species recorded in both centers during the period of observation.