Improvised Crab Trap as Attachment of Bag Net: a Novel Fishing Practice in Lower Ganges

Abstract

Bag net is the main fishing gear in Hooghly-Matlah estuary, the lower stretch of river Ganga in India. Catch of the bag net is reportedly declining day by day especially in upper estuary due to various factors. During our recent survey, it was observed that a trap named as ‘Chak jal’ was attached to the caudal region of the existing bag net that catching riverine cat fish ‘Arius gagora’ in some sector and thereby substantially increasing the income of fishers. The trap is the modified version of a similar trap also named as ‘Chak jal’ used to catch crab ‘Scylla serrata’ in upper Sundarban region. In the present paper, detail about the crab trap is given as it is hitherto unreported from Sundarban water in the light of other crab traps reported from different water bodies of India. Improvisation of the crab trap ‘Chak jal’ as attachment with the bag net to catch riverine catfish is discussed and analyzed.