Studies on the fishery and biology of 'ridge-back shrimp' Solenocera choprai Nataraj occurring off Maharashtra coast

Penaeid prawns belonging to the genus Solenocera have been reported to have fishery value only off Northwest coast of India. The species exploited from the shallower regions of the coast has been identified as Solemera crassicornis H. Milne Edwards, caught mainly in bag nets (Dol and Bhokshi). Another species S. choprai Nataraj was recently reported to have considerable fishery value along Maharashtra coast, landed exclusively by mechanised trawlers, operating at 40-70 m 'depth zone. This was found to contribute about 5% of the total penaeid catches from the region. The fishing ground lies off Murud-Harnai coast. S. choprai has'been recorded only from the Northwest coasts of India. This species bears a very close resemblance to S. alticarinata Kubo. The salient features that help in its identity, along with notes on its fishery and biology are presented, covering a period of ten years from 1977-1986. The fishery for S. choprai was found to be highly seasonal from March to June for most of the years, sometimes extending upto September. The observations were carried out at Sassoon dock, an important landing centre for penaeid prawns in the state of Maharashtra. An export potential exists for this species as it grows to a fairly large size. It is comparable in size to S. crassicornis which is presently exported in good quantities to countries like Japan.