Fishery and stock status of cuttlefishes off Andhra coast, India with focus on the needle cuttlefish Sepia aculeata Van Hasselt, 1835

The fishery and stock status of cuttlefishes along the northern coast of Andhra Pradesh was studied with special reference to the needle cuttlefish; Sepia aculeata Van Hasselt, 1835. Cuttlefishes caught by trawlers along the coast of Andhra Pradesh contributed 68.29% of the total cephalopod landings of the state during the study period (2006-2016). The average annual cephalopod landing in Andhra Pradesh for the study period was 2991 t and the mean annual catch per hour (CPH) during 2006-2016 was 0.47 kg h-1. The cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis indicated increasing trend in cuttlefish landings of the state during the study period. Stock status plots indicates that cuttlefish stocks along the Andhra Pradesh coast are in the “fully exploited” phase.