Stock Assessment of Sin Croaker Johnius dussumieri (Cuvier, 1830) Fishery by Different Production Model Approach from Tamil Nadu, Southeast Coast of India

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the exploitation status of the sin croaker Johnius dussumieri (Cuvier, 1830) fishery from Tamil Nadu, India waters. Annual catch and effort data were reconstructed from 2001 to 2020 and analyzed with different surplus production models using Catch and Effort Data Analysis (CEDA), Catch-based MSY (CMSY) and the Bayesian state-space implementation of the Schaefer production Model (BSM). The result of biological reference points such as maximum sustainable yield (MSY), relative stock size (B/BMSY) and relative exploitation rate (F/FMSY) from CEDA was 1,746 metric tonnes (MT), 0.93 and 1.11 respectively. However, CMSY and BSM models estimated MSY, B/BMSY and F/FMSY at 1,650 MT, 0.74 and 1.28 respectively. Hence, it can be inferred that the sin croaker fishery of Tamil Nadu, which was healthy during its initial stage distorted to overfishing status. Therefore, the present study recommends a reduction in fishing efforts and the implementation of conservation measures for better management and sustainable exploitation of the fishery.