Inland Fisheries

5.2.5 Godavari Estuary

The Godavari estuary is situated at the place where the 1330 km long Godavari meets the Bay of Bengal on the east coast of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh. River Godavari divides at Dowlaiswaram into two prinicipal distributaries viz., the Vasishta and the Gautami which enclose a wide delta between them. The tidal effect is relised up to 45 km from the river mouth. The total area of this estuary is about 18000 ha. There are about 185 species of fishes excluding clupeids. The annual fish production is about 5000 tonnes. Prawns form an important fishery in the Gautami-Godavari estuary. Whitebait, Anchoviella commersonii is abundant from Feb – June when the salinity is high and these are absent during the flood period when the salinity is low. Setipnna godavariensis and the sciaenid, Pseudosciaena axillaries form notable fishery. Mullets form one third of the total fish catch. Other species of commercial importance are Pristipoma hasta, Leiognathus sp., Gerres filamentosus, Caranx sp., Sillago sihama, Gobius sp., Sciaena sp., Platycephalus and Lates calcarifer , etc. Other prominent fishes include elasmobranchs, pomfrets, mackerels, perches and ribbonfish.

It is well known for its rich prawn fishery. Metapenaeus monoceros, M. brevicornis, M. dobsoni, M. affinis, Fenero penaeus indicus, P. monodon, P. semisulcatus, P. merguiensis and P. japonicus are the common prawns occurring here. Of the several species of prawns, M. monoceros which is the most abundant prawn, is available in the lower reaches of the estuary, particularly in the mangrove swamps and backwaters. The fisheries of odavari estuary is being affected severly by the sand bar formation. Shore seines, dragnet, bagnet, gill net and stake nets are the gears commonly used in this estuary.