Trends in Depth-Wise Occurrence of Potential Fishing Zones in North Andhra Pradesh Coast

摘要

The potential fishing zone (PFZ) advisories for north Andhra Pradesh coast from Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad, were analyzed year-wise for 2 years 2012-2013 (January to December) for frequency of its occurrences at different depths. Grid-wise plotting of PFZs showed that high and very high frequency grids were less abundant in near-shore coastal regions. The plotting also revealed that of the three zones compared, continental slope area, which is beyond 100 m depth, is having the maximum number of very high frequency hit grids, followed by mid-continental shelf area which is between 50 and 100 m depth. It is also noted that a trend of frequency of occurrence of PFZs is on the rise as the depth increases up to 200 m and further, the frequencies started decreasing. There is also an increasing trend in the frequency of occurrence of PFZs as we are moving towards the higher latitudes from Kakinada waters to Kalingapatnam waters.