Assessing the geographical distribution of carnivorous and planktivorous fishes in the western Bay of Bengal |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Nature Coast Biological Station, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 552 1st St, Cedar Key, FL 32625, USA;2. Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 136 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611-0410, USA;3. MERIDIAN, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada;4. Dalhousie University, 6299 South St, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada;5. Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr W, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada;6. Department of Biology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada;7. Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça do Oceanográfico, 191 - CEP: 05508-120, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo (SP), Brazil;8. The Fish Listener, Waquoit, MA, USA;9. Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, 1692 McCarty Dr, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA;10. Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 6050 University Ave, Halifax, NS B3H 1W5, Canada;11. Institute of Computer Science, Polish Academy of Sciences, Jana Kazimierza 5, 01-248 Warszawa, Poland;1. CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Donapaula, Goa 403004, India;2. Nansen Environmental Research Center, Kochi, Kerala 682506, India;3. CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi, Tamilnadu 630003, India;1. Department of Geography, University of Florida, Turlington Hall, 3141, 330 Newell Dr, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States of America;2. Harvard Forest, Harvard University, 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA 01366-9504, United States of America |
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| Abstract: | There is a clear distinction in the feeding habits of fishes between the northeastern and southeastern Arabian Sea (west coast of India) — the north is carnivorous, and the south is planktivorous —, but such a distinction is not available for the western Bay of Bengal (BoB; comprising the east coast of India and the coasts of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). We address this question by using publicly available landing data of finfishes for the four Indian states (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal) located along the western boundary of the BoB. Our analysis shows that the southwestern BoB is rich in fisheries and is more planktivorous compared to the northwestern BoB, which is more carnivorous. North–south variability exists even within the group of fishes such as anchovies and carangids. The meagre landing information for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh suggests that they show planktivorous and carnivorous characteristics of the southwestern and northwestern BoB, respectively. We show that monthly data and clarity on where the fish were caught are necessary to link the climatic conditions to the fishery along the western BoB. The landings on the Arabian-Sea and Gulf-of-Mannar part of the Tamil Nadu coast must be separated from the landings on its BoB coast. This separation can not be done with existing landing data and should be the first step in analysing fisheries data from the western BoB. The challenges in delineating the distribution of finfishes using available data illustrated here deliver guidance for future data collection and analysis at higher spatial and temporal scales for sustainable fisheries resource management in the region. |
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| Keywords: | Fisheries Oceanography Planktivorous Carnivorous Data Western Bay of Bengal |
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