Fish catch in Maharashtra jumped by 30% from 2.92 lakh tonnes in 2016 to 3.8 lakh tonnes in 2017, according to new data from the Central Marine Fisheries Institute (CMFRI). This is the second consecutive year that fish catch in the state has increased. In 2016, catch had risen by 10% from the previous year. The increases, which follow several years of decline, raise hopes of a revival in the state’s beleaguered fisheries sector. Experts attribute the rise to natural ocean fluctuations but also to measures taken to control overfishing, including the fishing ban during the monsoon and regulations on fishing net size. The monsoon ban gives fish time to breed, while bigger mesh size is intended to reduce netting of baby fish and bycatch. Some important fishes in the state saw significant increases in catch last year. Landings of Bombay duck increased by 54%, while the prawns catch went up by 24.4%. Threadfin breams jumped by 89% while cuttlefish landings went up by 150%, after falling last year. tnna And mackerel (bangda) had a bumper catch — 95% more than the previous year. Other fish that saw higher catch: squids, seer fish (surmai), and tuna.The only major fish that dipped was pomfret, especially the valuable silver pomfret, which saw a 48% decline in catch. CMFRI Mumbai scientist K V Akhilesh said the dip was likely due to a continued excess catch of juveniles which would have otherwise grown up and bred. Juvenile fish also don’t fetch much in the market. A rise in the catch of groupers, or cod (ikru), last year turned out to be uneconomical because they were mostly juvenile, Akhilesh said. The jump in overall catch is likely due to environmental factors in the ocean — a stronger upwelling, for instance — that fluctuate from year to year, said CMFRI scientist Ajay Nakhawa. But the 61-day monsoon ban is also an important reason. “The fish get a chance to breed,” he said. Fisherfolk are following the monsoon ban more rigorously in recent years, and some traditional boats even voluntarily suspend their operations ahead of time. The state last year banned purse seines — a kind of large-net fishing that can corral lakhs of fish in one go – and regulated mesh size for trawlers. These rules are not always followed on the ground. But even the limited measures appear to be yielding some benefit, said Nakhawa. Yet more needs to be done for Maharashtra’s fisheries to recover, warned CMFRI’s Akhilesh. The CMFRI is recommending that the state stipulate a minimum legal size for fish that can be kept if they are caught. The measure is used in several countries to give juvenile fish a chance to grow up and spawn, and has also been introduced in Kerala, where it is monitored with surprise checks. Akhilesh also noted that the number of boats plying these coastal waters is still far beyond what the resources can cater to. Meanwhile, catch in traditional small fishing nets continues to fall, accounting for just one percent of catch last year. “The income of artisanal fishermen is coming down,” Akhilesh said, adding, “Most resources are over-exploited due to the high number of mechanised boats. The number of fishing fleets and mesh size need to be reduced for the sustainability of Maharashtra’s marine fisheries.”