Administration Report of the Department of Fisheries Madras for the Year Ending 31st March 1953

The activities of the department were directed mainly as in previous years towards improvements of the lot of fishermen by socieconomic measures and the development of the fisheries wealth of the State. [...] The failure of spawning in 1950 and 1951 and the decline in the productivity of inshore waters added by the continuous presence of Noctiluca and Englnaids in the inshore waters which prevented the inshore migration of the available population have contributed to the utter failure of mackerel fishery this year. [...] As the first step in the assessment of the population an estiination of the composition of the species was taken up. [...] Sea-weeds.—Work is in progress on the estimation of the toal available Pliteophycea in the beds around Krusudai Island and the rate of growth of various Plimophycea and the rate of pepopulation of the harvested bed. [...] The decrease in the catches of Mackerels and consequent fall in the transaction in the yards had a very depressing effect on the economic condition of the fishermen.