Marine Biology

Mud Banks and Fisheries

These mud banks are boon to marginal fisherman of Kerala. The calm condition facilities marginal fisherman to venture into the sea during peak monsoon season and operates the available gears to catch the maximum fish wealth. This phenomenon has left an indelible mark in the fisherman’s society, which they celebrate with lot of pomp and show at the time of mud bank formation. This phenomenon is locally referred as ‘chagara’. Mud banks are rich in penaeid prawns, oil sardine, mackerel, Stolephorus and various other soles. Since bottom mud is churned and kept in suspension, the food present at the floor of the sea is made available to various commercially important pelagic fishes, even some of the demersal forms do migrate to overlying waters for feeding. The higher phosphate content of sediment facilitates increased primary productivity leading to increased zooplankton population. Commercially important fishes tend to carry around these areas for feeding making the mud banks rich in fishery wealth.