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to 12 feet, in length. The body is elongated, laterally compressed, of
uniform height and silver in colour and hence the name — the silver bar. It
is good for eating, but full of bones.
(3) CHANOS
The Milk fish chanos chanos, though not a very common fish in
Maharashtra, is one that is occasionally found in estuaries or in the coastal
waters. In the southern part of western India, it is found in large numbers.
Young ones (fry) of the fish are collected and fattened in fresh or estuarine
ponds for food purposes. The fish attains a maximum length of 4 to 6 feet.
During April-June, millions of transparent larvae are caught in bays and
estuaries in South India, particularly in the Gulf of Manaar. These larvae
can be directly transferred to fresh water and are quite hardly for transport.
In India, it is known to grow to 15 inches in sea-water, 19 inches in
brackish water and 25 inches in fresh water, in the first year, under ideal
conditions.
(4) BOMBAY DUCK
The Bombay duck, Harpodon nehereus, is one of the most important
fishes of Maharashtra, with an average annual landing of about 40,000
tons, contributing 16 per cent, of the total marine catch in the State. The
fish has a limited distribution in our waters, being restricted to northern
Maharashtra, its southern limit being Paj — Harnai. It extends northwards
up to Veraval in Gujarat State. The fish is mainly
Karali or Datal –Silver barfush (chirocentras dorab) (Forskal)
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