Bombay duck, mainly found off the western coast of India, was the most caught fish by the fishermen of Gujarat in 2022-23, while the white pomfret fetched the highest value, according to data released by the state govt.
While fishing trawlers of Gujarat netted 63,468.11 metric tonnes of Bombay Duck during the year, they earned Rs 1,043.19 crore by catching and selling the white pomfret fish. According to data of the state commissioner of fisheries, a total of 7,03,000 metric tonnes of fish were caught by fishermen from the sea in 2022-23, which fetched them Rs 7,899.23 crore.
This was 2.13% higher than the catch of 6,88,272 MT in 2021-22. The Gujarat fisheries department keeps a record of catches of 30 different species of sea fish while other species caught by the fishermen off the state’s coast are classified under the miscellaneous section.
According to the official figures, the total fish exports of the country in 2020-21 stood at 13,69,264 metric tonnes. Gujarat’s share was 16.9%, i.e 2.32,619 metric tonnes. State govt officials said that while the exports data for 2022-23 is being computed at the Union govt level, fish exports from Gujarat are expected to rise from the previous year.