PLANKTON OF CALICUT INSHORE WATERS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH COASTAL PELAGIC FISHERIES

Abstract

Studies on the inshore plankton of Calicut waters and on the related hydrological
featuies have been made in earlier years, and there have been attempts, in
general terms or specifically, at correlating these with the fisheries of the area. From
Homell and Nayudu (1924) who suggested that the oil sardine might be coming
into the inshore waters to feed on the plankton there, various workers have followed
this view. Particular mention may be made, in this regard, of the observations of
Chidambaram and Menon (1945) who arrived at a positive correlation between the
plankton and the pelagic fisheries of this area during the post-monsoon period; of
George (1953) who demarcated the inshore plankton as "edible" and "non-edible"
from the point of view offish food and marked the fact that the fishery season along
the coast coincided with the period of abundance of "edible plankton", suggesting
close relationship between the two; of Subrahmanyan (1959) who discussed the
relationship of plankton production with fluctuations of oil sardine and mackerel
landings on a month-to-month basis, finding broad correlation between standing
crop of the plankton and total quantity of fish landed.