Fishermen-led documentation of bycatch of sea snakes (Serpentes: Elapidae: Hydrophiinae) on the Malabar coast of southwestern India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9722.18.8.29515-29520Keywords:
awareness drive, dead snake, fishermen, Karnataka, Kerala, Indian coastline fisheries, live snake, photo sharing, posters, snake bycatchAbstract
Sea snakes are prominent among marine fishery bycatch and few studies have examined the gravity of this problem in Indian coastline fisheries. We examine sea snake bycatch on the Malabar Coast in southwestern India during a study period from September 2024 to January 2025 that was conducted in eight harbours in southern Karnataka and northern Kerala over a 15-week period. Sea snake bycatch photos were obtained directly from fishermen aboard vessels, and among 22 photos we identified three sea snake species: Short Sea Snake Hydrophis curtus (13 dead, 4 live), Annulated Sea Snake H. cyanocinctus (4 dead), and Hook-nosed Sea Snake H. schistosus (1 dead). We also interacted with fishermen and shared e-posters on sea snake bycatch issues during awareness outreach efforts in the study area.
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