Question

Maximum catch to the total marine fish landings in India is contributed by

• A. Demersal finfish
• B. Pelagic finfish
• C. Crustaceans
• D. Elasmobranchs

Hint:

The Indian oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps) and Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) are the two major pelagic single-species fisheries that drive high-volume pelagic landings on the southwest coast of India.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Indian marine fisheries are highly diverse and are broadly categorized into major resource groups based on their habitat: pelagic resources, demersal resources, crustacean resources, and molluscan resources.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Pelagic finfishes live and feed in the open water column.
This group includes high-volume, schooling species such as oil sardine, Indian mackerel, ribbonfishes, anchovies, carangids, and tunas.
Historically and consistently, pelagic finfishes contribute the highest percentage (typically around \(50\text{--}55\%\)) to the total marine fish landings in India, followed by demersal finfishes, crustaceans, and molluscs.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The maximum catch is contributed by pelagic finfish, which corresponds to option (B).