The document provides a comprehensive overview of various fishing crafts used in India for both marine and inland fisheries, detailing both non-mechanized and mechanized types. It outlines specific types of boats, including coracles, fiberglass boats, and catamarans, as well as fishing methods associated with them. Additionally, it highlights India's extensive aquatic resources and the advancements in fishing technology that enhance fish capture efficiency.

1. Dr. K. Rama Rao
Department of Zoology
Phone: 9010705687
Fishing Crafts

2. Fishing crafts
Fishing crafts are most essential for
catching the fish in large scale in water
bodies. A large variety of crafts (boats)
have been designed for marine and
inland fishing in India.
Crafts are provides platform for
fishing operations, carrying the crew.

3. There are various types of crafts used in
different parts depending upon the nature
of water bodies, the age of fish and their
species.
Some nets are used without craft, however,
others are used with the help of crafts.
Generally, locally made crafts may be non-
mechanized or mechanized.

4. Inland waters Marine waters
1.Thermocol Boat
2.Coracle
3.Fibre glass Boat
4.Plank built Boat
5.Hodi Boat
6.Canoe
7.Raft
8.Rubber Tube
Platform
I. Non-mechanised boats
(1) Catamaran
(2) Dug-out canoes
(3) Plank-built canoes
(4) Masula boats
(5) Dhinghi
(6) Outrigger canoes
(7) Built-up boats
II. Mechanized boats
(1) Hand line boat
(2) Pole and line fishing vessel
(3) Trolling vessel
(4) Dol netter:
(5) Gill netter:
(6) Stern trawlers:
There are two main types of devices used to capture fishes
in both marine and inland fisheries:

5. Inland waters crafts
India is blessed with huge and
untapped fishery potential. It has
29000 km of rivers, 0.3 million
hectares of estuarine, 0.19 million
hectares of backwater and lagoons,
3.15 million hectare of reservoirs and
0.2 million hectares of floodplain
wetlands and 0.72 hectares of upland
lakes.

6. 1. Thermocol Boat
The thermocol raft is also used to capture
fishes in the rivers.
This is made of two to three thermocol
pieces tied together and used only for
laying and hauling the fishing gears such
as the gill net, castanet and angling.

8. 2. Coracle
Coracles are normally used throughout
the river. A modified version of coracle is
fabricated with galvanised plates.
Internal diameter ranges between two to
three meters with an inner depth of
about 0.5 m.

9. Coracle

10. It is also a versatile craft used for
laying and lifting of nets, besides
navigation and transport of fish and
other materials.
Weight of the Coracles ranges from
10-l5 kg. Usually, two fishermen
carry out fishing from a coracle. Like
other canoes, oars are used for
propulsion.

11. 3. Fiber glass boat
It is the most common fishing crafts
employed in different stretches of the
river. The fishing boat length ranges
from three to five metres with a
breadth of 1 – 1.5 m.

12. 4. Plank-built Boat
This is the most advanced fishing craft
used in the region.
These spindle shaped boats are
constructed by joining planks of good
quality timber with iron nails.
The boat is painted with coal tar to
make joint leak proof and extend the
life of boat.

13. These boats vary in shape and size
and depends on where it is being
operated.

14. 5. Hodi Boat
Those who do fishing in rivers for larger
size fishes mainly use this. Typically, this
kind of boat is operated by two fishers
and primarily owned by full-time
fishermen in rivers.

15. 6. Canoe
It is made by hallowing out of a single palm
tree of varying sizes of 6-10m long and 2ft
wide.
One end of this is bulbous and wide and the
other end is narrow. It is propelled by Oar.

16. Traps, cast nets, gill nets are operated
from these canoes with a crew of one
person in the reservoir.

17. 7.Raft Four large pieces of
bamboo and place the
in the bottom, then the
shorter ones on top to
form a square.
The long pieces will
extend from each side
by 4 feet and act as
stabilizing pontoons.
Everything together
tightly with rope. A
flatbottom craft for
floating or drifting on
water

18. 8. Rubber tube platform
Inflated tubes of motor vehicles are used in the
Godavari in Maharashtra for fishing purposes.
A wooden platform 1 sq.m. area is placed over
the rubber tube and tied tightly with rope.

19. It is mostly used in Takari station for
hooks and lines operation and also setting
and hauling of gill nets.
The empty or ordinary plastic cans are
also used.

20. India have a coast line of 8129 Km,
and it is spread over 9 maritime states
and 4 Union Territories. Following
are the major Gear used for capture
fisheries.
Non-mechanised boats
The categories of fishing craft types
comes under non-machanized are
catamaran, dugout-canoes, plank
built canoes, masula boat, built up
boats.
Marine waters Crafts

21. (i) Catamaran:
The simplest type of fishing craft, a
few curved logs of wood joined
together forming a kind of floating
raft, such as the ones used along
the east coast of India.
Four types of catamarans are
prevalent in Indian waters, namely
the Orissa type, Andhra type,
Coromandal type and
Kanyakumari type.

23. (ii) Dug-out canoes:
A simple type of craft for fishing
within short distances from the
coast is a small-sized canoe made by
scooping logs of wood in the form of
boat.
The “Odams”, “Thonies”, “Vanchies”
etc. of the southeast and south-west
coasts of India come under this
category.

24. In calm weather, oars may be enough
for propulsion; but if winds and
currents prevail, sails may be used.

25. (iii) Plank-built canoes:
This is an enlarged variety of dug-out
canoe made of planks on the sides,
largely used in Kerala

26. (iv) Masula boats
It is made of non-rigid planks
sewn together with coir ropes and
are common along Andhra coast.

27. (v) Dhinghi
This is a carvel type of boat designed and
constructed for a variety of purposes
including fishing.

28. (vi) Outrigger canoes
Some times plank-built canoes may
be provided with a single outrigger as
in the “rampani” boats used for
capturing mackerel in Karnataka.

29. (vii) Built-up boats
In most of the boats made at present,
the carvel type of boats is built up of
planks. The best type of built-up boats
is seen in centres along the northeast
coast of India.

30. Mechanized boats
With the advent of mechanization of
the fishing crafts, small and medium
sized boats, 10 to 15 m long, are
constructed with engines operated by oil
for venturing to distant coastal areas in
search of fishing grounds.
The machanised crafts are line boats,
trap boats, dolnetter, gillnetter,
trawlers.

31. (i) Hand line boat
Hand line boats can be operated
both in the shallow and deeper
waters.
In India the gear usually consists
of a few meters of monofilament
of 0.5 mm to 1 mm diameter to the
end of which is attached a hood.

32. They are used to catch all kinds of
demersal fish from motorized as well
as small-mechanised vessels.

33. (ii) Pole and line fishing vessel
Pole and line fishing vessels are fitted
with a narrow platform protruding all
round the vessel at deck level, outside
the bulwarks.
It is a wooden craft 12.5m long and 3m
wide at the stern, made from teak,
coconut or aini wood. The back end is
provided with a broad raised fishing
platform.

34. The propulsion of the craft is by sail or
by oars. Nearly 20 to 25 men work on
each craft.

35. (iii) Trolling vessel
Trolling line boats tow lines extending
on either side to catch pelagic species
having high individual value and good
quality, such as tuna and baracuda.
The fish hooked after snapping at the
lure are brought on board as the line
is hauled in.

36. The vessel lengths vary between 25’ -
50’ and have normally a forward
wheelhouse arrangement allowing a
clear working deck aft.

37. (iv) Dol netter
The dol netters are used for operating the
dol nets, which are basically fixed bag
nets.
The dol netter varies form 8-14 mm
length, 1.5 m to 3.6 m in breadth and 0.8
m to 1.8 m in height. The carrying
capacity of each of such boats varies from
2-14 tonnes.

38. Each of these boats is fitted with 2-4
cylinder diesel engines.

39. (v) Gill netter
Vessels of almost any size can
undertake gill netting. The vessels
vary in length between 25’ and 55’.
The deck must be so laid out that the
gear can be conveniently stowed, with
a clear passage from bow to stern so
that the gear can be passed after
hauling.

40. An arrangement with wheelhouse and
engine room forward or behind may
be used depending on the operating
method adopted.

41. (vi) Stern trawlers
Fishing over the stern can be a very
efficient way of trawling. Stern
trawling is the most wide- spread
method of fishing in India.
The vessels range in size from 32’ to
55’ in length and may be fitted with
60 to 120 horsepower engine and
above. Vessels above 45’ in length
may also be constructed in steel.