The Catch Composition of Beach Seine Fishery along Tarkarli Beach, Malvan, West Coast of India
摘要
The present study was conducted at Tarkarli, Sindhudurg, along the west coast of India from October 2024 to May 2025, to evaluate fishery-associated catch assemblages and their relationship with environmental parameters. Monthly sampling was carried out using one beach seine haul per month and plankton samples were collected using a 60 μm mesh net by filtering 100 L of seawater. A total of 33 taxa were recorded, comprising 24 finfish, 5 crustaceans, 2 cephalopods and 2 cnidarians. The catch composition exhibited marked temporal variability, with finfish diversity peaking during the winter season. Biodiversity indices, including Shannon–Wiener (H′), Simpson’s (S) and Pielou’s evenness (J′), attained maximum values in December, indicating enhanced species richness and evenness. Dominant species such as Rastrelliger kanagurta and Portunus sanguinolentus were consistently recorded, whereas the post-monsoon period (November) was characterized by a monospecific bloom of jellyfish (Chrysaora sp.) coinciding with low dissolved oxygen levels. One-way ANOVA, Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), and Pearson’s correlation were employed to examine seasonal variations and species–environment relationships. While salinity and dissolved oxygen defined broad seasonal regimes, the results indicate that biological factors, particularly prey availability and episodic gelatinous zooplankton blooms, played a major role in regulating the catch composition of the beach seine fishery during the present study period.