Bumper landing of Arius dussumieri (Valenciennes, 1846) bypurse-seine net at Sassoon Dock, Mumbai

On 02-11-04, an unusually heavy landing of 80 tonnes of the catfish Arius dussumieri was reported at the New Jetty of Sassoon Dock.A purse-seiner made the entire catch in a single haul at 25-30 m depth, at a distance of 25-30 km off Mumbai Harbour. On enquiry at Karanja Fishermen Society, it was reported that a similar bumper catch of approximately 120 tonnes was reported on 30-10-04. A catch of such magnitude by purse-seiners is reported for the first time from Mumbai waters. The catch fortunately did not have any brooding specimens.