Effect of J-Hook Shapes on Catch Rate, Efficiency, and Hooking Position of Needlefish: Evidence from Palk Bay, India

Vasanth, K.; Muthupandi, K.; Naganandhini, V.; Kumar, M.; Krishnan, A.; Patolla, H., and Radhakrishnan, K., 2023. Effect of J-hook shapes on catch rate, efficiency, and hooking position of Needlefish: Evidence from Palk Bay, India. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(5), 933–939. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. The efficiency of different shapes of J hooks No. 11 (nonoffset straight hook, 10° offset kirbed hook, and 10° offset reversed hook) in needlefish longline fishing gears was studied in 24 fishing grounds in Palk Bay, India, from, February to July 2022. A total of 24 fishing trips were conducted for each experimental gear for the comparative study, with 14,400 hooks, with a total catch of 582 fish during the study. The result was that the kirbed hook had the highest percentage composition of the needlefish (37.36%), followed by the reversed hook (31.79%) and the straight hook (30.75%). Further, the overall hooking rate was higher for the kirbed hook than for the straight hook (13.43% vs. 8.60%). Considering the catch rate, the overall catch per unit effort (CPUE; individual/200 hooks) of the kirbed hook was higher (9.08 vs. 7.45) than that of the straight hook, whereas for the straight hook, the CPUE of nontarget species (0.29) was much higher than that of the kirbed hook (0.12). In terms of the targeted species, the Ablennes hians showed the highest CPUE of 3.78 individuals/200 hooks followed by Tylosurus crocodilus crocodilus (1.78), Strongylura strongylura (1.38); the least dominant CPUE was T. choram (0.94). The percentage of hooking position in the jaw was higher in the kirbed hook than that of the straight hook (64.7% vs. 39.1%) and was found lower in the gut system (11.5% vs. 28.5%). Among the three hook shapes tested, the overall performance of the 10° offset kirbed hook was found to be better than the other 10° offset reversed and nonoffset J hook in terms of a higher catch efficiency, hooking rate, CPUE, and hooking position for needlefish (