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Can Artificial Reefs Really Enhance the Inshore Fishery Resources Along Indian Coast? A Critical Review

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Abstract

The depletion of fishery resources and their habitats on account of fishing, pollution and other anthropogenic activities necessitates their replenishment by some strategic management approaches. Artificial reef (AR) is a kind of artificial fish habitat which provides living, hiding and breeding places for aquatic organisms and thereby augmenting the biodiversity and abundance of fishery resources. In particular, the installation of ARs along coastal regions could bring down the fishing pressure from mechanized sectors and thus support the small scale traditional fisheries. Since the management based on AR is not species specific but effective for all aquatic organisms in the ecosystem, it allows fishery managers to move from a single species framework to ecosystem based fisheries management in the long run. Being a tropical coastal nation, India has also initiated trials on AR deployment. However, these studies so far are limited to the design, construction and performance of AR. In this review paper, the historical AR initiatives in India are critically analyzed and potential areas for research and development that the country can focus on are discussed particularly in the perspective of supplementing the inshore fisheries.

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Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge the guidance, support and encouragement from Director, ICAR-CCARI, Dr. Narendra Pratap Singh for this study. The author is grateful to Dr. Deepak George Pazhayamadom (UCC, Ireland), Ajey Patil (Dive Goa), Dr. Divu D. and Dr. Sreenath K. R. (CMFRI, Kochi) and Dr. S.K. Chakraborty (CIFE, Mumbai) for their guidance and support in composing the manuscript. The support and contributions from Director of Fisheries, Dr. Shamila Monteiro and former superintendent of fisheries, Dr. Hrishikesh Pawar are greatly appreciated. The author also expresses heartfelt thanks to the technical, administrative and supporting staff of ICAR-CCARI for their moral support. There is no conflict of interest in this article.

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  1. ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Old Goa, Goa, 403 402, India

    G. B. Sreekanth, N. Manju Lekshmi & Narendra Pratap Singh

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Sreekanth, G.B., Lekshmi, N.M. & Singh, N.P. Can Artificial Reefs Really Enhance the Inshore Fishery Resources Along Indian Coast? A Critical Review. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., India, Sect. B Biol. Sci. 89, 13–25 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40011-017-0861-0

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