The results of a study on the fishery, biology, exploitation and mortality of hilsa shad (Hisa ilishu) are presented. The average annual landing of Hilsa ilisha for 1979 - 88 was 5710 tonnes forming 0.4% of the total landings. The major craft and gears and the contributions of different states are presented. Age at first maturity was estimated as 1.98 years. The details of spawning migrations, maturity stages and fecundity are discussed. The total mortality, natural mortality and fishing mortality coefficients were obtained as 1.71,0.704 and 0.9444 respectively.

The ecology of the already shrinking Chilika lake is further threatened by the scramble among fisherfolk, farmers and traders to grabe their share of the depleting stock of fish and prawn.Meanwhile the state government too, oblivious of the lake"s deterio

A nondescript Maria Gond village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, can offer a lesson to urbanites on how to run a functioning democracy.

M G Rao, then assistant director of fisheries, was the first to attempt breeding tiger prawns in the Palur canal of Chilika in 1981.