Clupeids, including sardines, anchovies, and shads, make up a significant portion of marine fish landings in India, accounting for around 38% annually. Whitebaits are an important component of anchovy landings, contributing an average of 55,415 tonnes per year. Golden anchovy landings have declined in recent years. Hilsa shad landings increased substantially from 1999-2008, with the species contributing over 80% of total shad landings on average. Management strategies must account for the multi-species nature of clupeid fisheries.

1. CLUPEID FISHERY EXCEPT
SARDINES IN INDIA
VISHNURAJ R S

2. INTRODUCTION
• The world’s fisheries provide about 2.6 billion people with at least 20 per cent of their
average annual per capita protein intake (FAO, 2007).
• . Asia contributes to 63.17 % fish production in the world.
• India , prime position amongst South Asian countries - 71 per cent in this region (FAO,
2008).
• The fishery resources of India - 1,570 species of finfishes and about 1,000 species of
shellfishes.
• Important groups of marine fisheries resources
• (i) Pelagic resources -oil sardine, mackerel, seer fish, tuna, lesser sardine, anchovies and
ribbon fishes
• (ii) demersal resources - perches, sciaenids, catfishes, polynemids, flat fishes, pomfrets,
• eels, sharks, skates, rays and fishes

3. • (iii) Mid-water resources - Bombay duck, silver-bellies and horse mackerel).
• (iv) Crustacean resources -prawns, shrimps, lobsters and crabs)
• (v) Molluscan resources -oysters, mussels, clams, chanks, squids and cuttlefishes
• (vi) Seaweed resources
• Clupeids - 38% marine fish landings in India. The decadal average landings of clupeids
increased from 1, 73,299 t in 1950-60 to 7, 39,135 t during 2001-10.
• Important group of pelagic food fishes of Clupeids - oilsardines (Sardinella longiceps),
• Lesser sardines (Sardinella albella, Sardinella gibbosa, Sardinella fimbriata and
Sardinella sirm), white baits (Stolephorus spp.,Enchrasicholina spp.) and anchovies
(Thryssa spp., Setipinna spp. and Coilia spp.).

4. CLUPEIDS
• The Clupeidae (Latin: "sardine") the family of the herrings, shads, sardines ,hilsa,
and menhadens.
• Body protected with shiny cycloid scales (very smooth and uniform scales), A
single dorsal fin, with a fusiform body.
• No species has scales on the head, and some are entirely scale less. The lateral line is
short or absent, and the teeth are unusually small where they are present at all.
• The adults typically live in large shoals

5. ANCHOVIES
• Distribution: widely distributed along Indian cost
• Indian anchovies - Stolephorus, Coilia, Thryssa and Thryssina.
• Production trends: average annual catch during 1990-2008 was 0.130
million tonne, constituting 10% of the total pelagic fish production in
India.
• The annual landings ranged from 0.105 million tonnes in 1987 to 0.166
million in 1991.

6. • White baits were the most important with current (1990 to 2008) average fish landings of
55,415 tonnes forming 43% of the overall anchovy production of 0.127 million tonnes.
• Grenadier anchovy Coilia dussumieri and Thryssa formed 27% each and Settipinna 3%.
Whitebaits
• A group of small pelagic fishes belonging to genus stolephorus and Encrasicholina .
• Contributed on an average 55,415 tonnes(1990 to 2008) forming 2% of the total marine
fish landings in the country.
• Ten species of whitebaits, viz. Encrasicholina devisi, E.heterolobus, E.punctifer
(Stolephorus buccaneeri), Stolephorus andhraensis, S.baganensis(S.macrops),
S.commersonii, S.dubiosus, S.indicus, S.insularis and S.waitei(S.bataviensis),

7. • Means of exploitation
• The major gears - boat seines, shore-seines, bagnets and gill nets operated mainly by the
catamarams and other small country crafts.
• Purse-seine, ring seine and trawl nets are also effectively used in fishery.
• In the south-east and the south-west coasts, the most common gears exploiting whitebaits
include boat seines (cod-end stretched mesh size:10mm) and shore sienes (cod-end
stretched mesh10-20mm).
• On the south-west coast gill-net known as netholivala (mesh15mm)

8. • The fishing season
• Differs from place to place : October- March in Karnataka,
July-December in Kerala, April –December in Tamil Nadu and October- March in
Andhra Pradhesh.
• Exhibit seasonal migration
• Biology :
• The whitebaits fishery is supported by fishes of the’0’year
• They are multiple spawners with an extended spawning season starting from November
and lasting till July.

9. Utilization:
• Most of the white baits catch is consumed fresh.
• in times of glut when dried and send sent to interior markets
• A small fraction of fresh fish is used as baits
Management:
• Whitebaits are annually renewable resources
• Increasing fishing pressure during peak seasons is a practical option to enhance
whitebait’s production.
• A potential yield of 240,000tonnes was estimated for whitebaits in the EEZ of India.

10. COURTSY:
http://www.fishbase.us/Photos/PicturesSummary.php?ID=586&
what=species
Thryssa
COURTSY:http://www.fishbase.org/images/thumbnails/jpg/tn_
Enpun_u1.jpg
ENCRASSICHOLINA

11. COURTSY:http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/images/species/stind
_u0.jpg
Stolephorus indicus
GOLDEN ANCHOVY (Coilia dussumieri)
• An endemic resource in Maharashtra and Gujarat along the north-west coast of India.
• The species exhibit discontinuous distribution and constitutes a fishery in West Bengal and
Odisha along with other species (C. ramcarti).
• It is an important pelagic resource found in association with Bombay-duck and non-penaeid
prawns.

12. Production trends:
• The golden anchovy (Coilia dussumieri)landings ranged from 36,200 tonnes (1990 ) to
30,795 tonnes in 2008.
• To 1980 in dolnet was the sole gear that contributed to entire catch. The trawlers
commenced in 1985 in dolnet zone and since then the contribution of trawl catch is on the
increases.
• During 1986-90 trawl and dol contributed 38% and 60%, while during 1996-2000
contribution by trawl increased to 70% of the total catch.
• Landings of golden anchovy during the last 15years indicated that a decline in landings.
• The management strategies cannot be considered in isolation.
• In a multi-species fishery, difficult to suggest optimum mesh size for each species.

13. Courtsy:http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/PicturesSummary.ph
p?ID=625&what=species
Coilia dussumieri
SHADS
• The Hilsa shad (Hilsa (Tenualosa) ilisha), is well known for its commercial fishery in the
northeast.
• shad spends most of its life in the inshore areas of the sea and undertakes extensive
migrations
• It is delicious and possibly the most highly priced fish in the Indian markets.

14. • Annual catch of shad increased from 19,456 tonnes in1999 to 59,864 tonnes in 2008 with
an average production of 40,810 tonnes.
• The T. Ilisha contributed 82% (average: 33,307 tonnes).
• The gill-netters contributed the bulk of the shad catches in the north-east coast.
• The bulk of the fishery is constituted in the size range of 260mm to480mm.
• The shads other than hilsa shad from fisheries in all regions,
COURTSY:
http://www.fishbase.org/images/thumbnails/jpg/tn_Teili_u0.jpg
Hilsa (Tenualosa) ilisha

15. OTHER CLUPEIDS
• The wolf-herrings(Chirocentrus dorab) forms a fishery, and contributes about 0.7% to total
all-India landings (20,688 tonnes during 2008) of which about 45% comes from north-east
coast.
• Clupeids consisting of species Dussumiera, Escualosa, Ilisha, Nematolosa, Opisthopterus,
Pellona, Reconda, Dorosoma and Chanos together accounted for an annual average of
49,248 tonnes during 1990-2008; 1.8% of the total all India landing.

16. CONCLUSION
• Marine capture fisheries is an important source of income
• Clupeids formed more than 20% of marine fish landings in India (38%).
• Oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps) remained as the most important single species contributing
13.1% to the total marine fish landings in the country.
• whitebaits are the dominant component of the anchovy landings in India.
• This resource contributed on an average 55,415 tonnes(1990 to 2008) forming 2% of the total
marine fish landings
• The golden anchovy (Coilia dussumieri)landings ranged from 36,200 tonnes (1990 ) to 30,795
tonnes in 2008.

17. • The Hilsa shad (Hilsa (Tenualosa) ilisha), from 1999-2008, the annual catch
increased from 19,456 tonnes in1999 to 59,864 tonnes in 2008 with an average
production of 40,810 tonnes.
• The T. Ilisha alone contributed 82% (average: 33,307 tonnes)in total shad landing.