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after death. It is essentially algivorous and breeds almost throughout the
year, it is always considered good food fish. Both these fish live equally
well in marine and fresh water, and are known for their parental care.
(26) RIBBON FISHES
Of the 3 species of ribbon fishes, family Trichiuridae, found in
Maharashtra, Trichiurus lepturus and Lepturacauthus savala are common.
They are respectively known as Wagti and Baga or Bale, and form a
sizable fishery contributing about 6.500 tonnes per annum. Baga is much
larger, nearly four feet in length, but the body in both is extremely
elongated and laterally compressed so as to look like a silvery ribbon.
They are voraciously carnivores, feeding when young on prawns, and
mainly, when in adult condition, on fishes. These fishes breed around June
when they migrate to off-shore waters.
Ribbon fishes are mainly caught in ' dol ' nets, trawl nets and ‘ rampans ’,
The fish are mostly sun-dried or salted. Though not very much in demand
in coastal areas, they serve as poor man's food in the interior tracts.
(27) MACKERELS
The family Scombridae, to which mackerels belong, includes most
important food fishes, contributing large quantities to the total catch all the
world over. In Indian waters, it is represented by a single species,
Rastrelliger kanagurta, constituting sometimes as much as 25 to 30 per
cent, in the total production of marine fishes in the country. Although it
has a distribution on the west and east coasts of India, the major pan of the
fishery, more than 90 per cent, is confined to the west coast, extending
from Ratnagiri to Cape Comorin.
Rastrelliger kanagurata is a streamlined and speedy fish, gregarious in
habit. Its food consists of macroscopic zooplanktonic and phyto planktonic
organisms. Intensity of feeding is observed to be high when the mackerel
are maturing, and low when they are in an advanced stage of sexual
FAUNA 117