Design of a Mini-trawl and its Operational Performance in Thirumoorthy Reservoir, India

Abstract

Catch efficiency of mini-pair trawling was evaluated
in Thirumoorthy reservoir of Tamil Nadu. The minipair
trawl with 38 m head rope length was operated
from 5 m OAL FRP boat powered by 25 hp OBM.
The trawlable waypoints in the reservoir were found
out through a topographic survey using Echo
Sounder and GPS. The total catch was found to be
95 kg in 10 operations and had an average CPUE
of 30 kg h-1, of which the catch was dominated by
Labeo rohita (47%), Catla catla (23%), Cirrhinus mrigala
(19%) and Cyprinus carpio (10%). Higher catch
efficiency (CPUE of 30 kg h-1) was obtained in minitrawling
as compared to existing economic harvesting
techniques (CPUE of gillnet 8.82 kg/boat/day).
However, the study indicated the need of detailed
research before recommending the mini-pair trawl
for commercial use.