The strong resemblance between two varieties of ribbon fish, locally known as vaala, has landed the trawlers operating off the Kerala coast in a difficult situation. Since it is hard to identify the commercially important large-head hairtail ( Trichiurus lepturus) from pearly hairtail ( Trichiurus auriga), the catch is often tagged juvenile and seized for violating the Kerala Marine Fishing Regulation Act.
While both belong to the same family, large-head hairtail can grow up to nearly 100 cm long and the species has huge market demand. It is also one among the 58 species for which the State government has set minimum legal size (MLS), prohibiting the capture of undersized fish.
At the same time, pearly hairtail is a small species with a maximum length below 40 cm. “Huge shoals of the species have been entering our nets of late. The fish has no market demand and the only option is to sell it to fish meal fish oil (FMFO) plants. Authorities think we are targeting juveniles, whereas this species cannot grow beyond 30 cm to 35 cm,” says Seban, a fisher.
According to boat operators, the confusion is causing them considerable losses, with the Fisheries department seizing the catch due to the presence of pearly hairtail. “Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) had identified the small ribbon fish variety long ago. According to their study, the stock is abundant. The fish is not edible, but it is not possible to screen it from the by-catch,” says Peter Mathias, president, All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association.
Since the neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have not imposed any restrictions on the capture of pearly hairtail, it is double whammy for Kerala fishers. “As a result, finding crew members for our boats has become hard,” adds Mr. Mathias.
Meanwhile, Fisheries officials say steps have been taken to address the issue. “It is true that they have been bringing huge volumes of Trichiurus auriga bycatch. But a lot of boats are now indulging in juvenile fishing as we are nearing the end of the season. Since it is not a commercially important species, MLS of Trichiurus auriga has not been determined and it is not easy to differentiate between the two varieties, especially in the juvenile stage. But we have already initiated steps to solve the problem and a decision will be taken soon,” says an official.