Types of fishing gears operating and their impact on Krishna river fishery in Mahabubnagar district, T.S. India

Abstract

Fishing gears and their impact on Krishna river fishery in Mahabubnagar district was investigated from 2012 to 2014. Documentation of gears in rivers of India is scanty. The paper describes a wide range of traditional as well as modernized fishing gears used by subsistence and professional fishers in the river Krishna and their impact on the fisheries and ecosystem of the same. The minute mesh size fishing gears, like seine nets used in the catching of all sizes of fish impacting the fisheries of the river. The use of this kind of fishing gears is also the major cause of sharp decline of the economically important Indian major carps in the river. An awareness programs should be extended amongst the fishers to create awareness of the long-term effects of their fishing practices and to impart knowledge of fishing laws. The present account is an attempt to document the occurrence of 5 different kinds of gears, lines and nets in the entire stretch of the Krishna river in the district. The objective of study is to present the recent data of fishing gears and nets operated for fishing in the river and their impact on the Krishna fishery