01-05 December 2025
INCOIS, Hyderabad, India.
| Abstract Submission No. | ABS-06-0163 |
| Title of Abstract | Decadal Trends in Small Pelagic Fisheries Along the Malabar Coast: Ocean Climate Linkages |
| Authors | Bhagyashree Dash*, Dhanya M. Lal, Sanjiba Kumar Baliarsingh, Alakes Samanta, Sudheer Joseph, T. M. Balakrishnan Nair |
| Organisation | INCOIS, Hyderabad |
| Address | INCOIS Hyderabad, Telangana, India Pincode: 500090 E-mail: b.dash-p@incois.gov.in |
| Country | India |
| Presentation | Poster |
| Abstract | Small pelagic fishes play a vital ecological and economic role in marine ecosystems. Among the small pelagic, oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps) and Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) are the most commercially important species, collectively contributing the highest share to India⿿s total marine fishery landings. The southwestern coastal states of Kerala and Karnataka, situated in the Malabar upwelling zone, are key fishing grounds for these species. This study analyses decadal trends (1985⿿2023) in their landings, highlighting interspecific variability and links to environmental drivers. The key environmental parameters known to influence small pelagic fishes were selected, including sea surface temperature anomalies (SSA), chlorophyll-a concentration, precipitation, upwelling intensity, and large-scale climatic indices such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). These variables were extracted for both the Kerala and Karnataka coasts from satellite/model-simulated data to evaluate their impact on the two species. The results support the hypothesis of an alternating dominance pattern between these two species, influenced by environmental conditions and climate indices. Despite partially overlapping ecological niches, oil sardine and Indian mackerel exhibit different feeding behaviours. Oil sardine which are diatom-feeding planktivores and Indian mackerel, which are opportunistic feeders, both showed a negative relation with ENSO and the IOD, as their catches declined with increasing index values. Upwelling was found to have a positive effect on oil sardine abundance. However, during years of relatively weak upwelling when sardine landings declined Indian mackerel catches often increased, indicating a compensatory mechanism and alternating cycle between the two species. Additionally, SSA and precipitation patterns also influenced interannual fluctuations in landings across both states. This study underscores the importance of environmental and climatic drivers in shaping decadal shifts in small pelagic fisheries and emphasizes the need to consider interspecific dynamics in developing sustainable fishery management strategies. |
| Are you part of IIOE-2 endorsed project | no |
| Keywords | Species shift, ENSO, Upwelling, Oil sardine, Indian mackerel |
| For Awards | yes |
| Date Of Birth | 12-07-1992 |
| ECSN Registration Number | IIOE2-ECSN-0130 |