Scientists net little known & flourishing deep-sea fishing grounds in Arabian Sea

Panaji: A team of scientists from the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) has found new fishing grounds deep under the sea that have not been explored much earlier. The FSI conducted a deep-sea expedition using a trawler and explored waters as deep as 540m, from Kollam in Kerala to Goa.
The newly discovered fishing grounds, located approximately 100-120 nautical miles off India’s western coast, boast of an impressive average catch per unit effort (CPUE) of 150-300kg/hr. Interestingly, the survey found no significant difference in catches or species diversity between day and night fishing.
The area is rich in a variety of commercially valuable crustaceans, including humpback nylon shrimp, Arabian red shrimp, deep-sea mud shrimp, deepwater spiny lobster, and deep-sea squat lobster. Cephalopod resources like Opisthoteuthis sp (octopus) and Octopoteuthis sicula (squid) were also abundant.
Furthermore, the new grounds support a diverse marine population, encompassing species such as froghead eel, rosy cod, sackfish, snake mackerel, royal escolar, bandfish, duckbill flathead, splendid alfonsino, and shadow driftfish.
Elasmobranchs (a group comprising fish like sharks), including sicklefin chimaera, pygmy ribbontail catshark, bramble shark, Indian swellshark, and Travancore skate were also present in good numbers. FSI director general Sreenath K R said, “Our research will enhance scientific understanding to ensure the sustainability of marine ecosystems and strengthen India’s fishing industry.”
S Ramachandran, the zonal director of FSI’s Mormugao base, said, “Coastal fishery resources face growing pressure from overfishing, habitat degradation, and climate change.” Ramachandran added, “Deep-sea resources emerge as a critical alternative for sustaining fisheries and ensuring food security in the nation.”
The FSI’s team of scientists included Nashad M, Shiva A, Ashik P, Venkatesh Saroj, and chief engineer Joseph Ignatious, along with the Goa base team of H D Pradeep, M K Sinha, and Raju Nagpure.