Bycatch and discards in commercial trawl fisheries of Malabar region

Increase in the commercial trawling in the last few decades has made direct impact on ecosystem and also on the biodiversity. Trawling kills a large quantity of ncn-targeted species and juvenile fishes. The fisherman after each haul discards a large quantity of unwanted fishes and shellfishes in to the sea. The discard rate varies in relation to the target species, season and area of operation. Trawl fisheries, are characterised by high discard rates of unwanted fish, and of juvenile or undersized commercial species. There is growing evidence that intensive fishing with trawls may alter the habitat, and affect biodiversity, community structure, species composition and abundance of both target and other species within the food web. The most recent FAO estimate sets global discards at about 25% of reported annual production from capture fisheries. The types and quantities of discards in fishing operations will depend on the species and size selectivity characteristics of the gear used in relation to the target species.