Demersal Fishes - Life History Studies andResource Assessment of fishes In: ICAR Sponsored Winter School on Recent Advances in Fishery Biology Techniques for Biodiversity Evaluation and Conservation, 1-21 December 2018, Kochi.

Demersal fishes are those, which are bottom dwelling fishes and fishes that are close to the sea bottom. Demersal fisheries have been a major source of human nutrition and commerce for thousands of years. Main objective of the demersal fishery is nothing but human consumption. Compared with pelagic resources like mackerel and sardine, the demersal fishes are relatively large and high value species. Since the fishes are mostly associated with sea bottom, these are also known as ground-fish fisheries. Deep-water fisheries are mostly featured by some of their major characteristics like slow growth, longevity, and low reproductive output that may be the reasons for the low sustainability towards the high level of fishing pressure. The intensity of fishing activity throughout the world, including demersal fisheries, has increased rapidly over the past century, with more fishing vessels, greater engine power, better fishing gear, and improved navigational aids. Many demersal fisheries are now overexploited and all are in need of careful assessment and management if they are to provide a sustainable harvest.