Fishery and biology of commercial penaeid shrimps

Marine shrimps are fished all along the Indian coast and brought to different fish \nlanding centres/harbours located in the maritime states. They are caught mainly by trawlers, \neither multiday or single day trawlers using trawl nets. The multiday trawling operations may \nextend from three days to more than a week. The voyage by single day trawlers is restricted \nto 6 to 7 hours. There are several commercially important shrimp species in India– Penaeus \nindicus, Metapenaeus dobsoni, Metapenaeus monoceros, Metapenaeus affinis, \nParapenaeopsis stylifera, Penaeus semisulcatus, Penaeus monodon, Solenocera choprai etc. \nIn each maritime state, the species composition varies and one or the other species may \ndominate the landings in quantity. Some of them are highly valued in the international \nmarkets whereas others are utilised for domestic consumption. Certain smaller species are \nalso dried and consumed. In India the total peaneid shrimp landings during 2016 was 200116 \nt forming 45% of the crustacean and 12% of the total marine landings. \nDiagnostic characters provide identity to each species and species having similar or \ncertain identical characters are placed under same genus and family. Commercial shrimp \nspecies mostly belong to the family penaeidae, under the genera Penaeus, Metapenaeus, \nParapenaeopsis, Metapenaeopsis, Solenocera and Trachypenaeus.