Comparative efficiency of fish trap with different funnel designs

Abstract

The efficiency of four different funnel designs viz., rectangular, oval, heart-in and circular shaped funnels were tested in a serial collapsible fish trap through fishing trials conducted in a coastal fishing ground off Mandapam in Tamil Nadu, south-west coast of India. A total of 24 fishing operations were carried out. Significant difference in overall catch rate of experimental trap with respect to funnel designs could be observed (p<0.05). Among four types of funnels tested with the constant rear end funnel perimeter of 560 mm, traps with oval funnel caught more number of fishes (121 nos. in 24 soaking days) than those fitted with rectangular, heart-in shaped and circular type of funnels with 37; 82 and 70 nos. in 24 soaking days respectively. The study revealed that oval shaped funnel was superior to the other funnel designs with 560 mm circumference.