Fishery status of the green tiger shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus) in Palk Bay, in the southeast coast of India: Local and global perspectives

The green tiger shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus De Haan, 1844), traded as Mandapam flower shrimp internationally, is large-sized shrimp and landed on the coast of Palk Bay, India. This work aimed to describe the status of its fishery and identify challenges for the better management of these resources. The estimated fishery landings of P. semisulcatus in 2022 were 7658 t, with an annual average of 6493 t from 2020 to 2022, contributing to the total penaeid shrimp landings in Palk Bay at 57.6%. The economic value of this fishery was estimated to be around $53 million USDs annually (1 USD = 83.16 INR). Between 2007 and 2022, there was a significant difference between green tiger shrimp and total penaeid shrimp landings in Palk Bay across gears and years. All shrimp from Palk Bay have export markets to Japan, the USA, China, and European countries. The average annual export of P. semisulcatus (2015-16 to 2022–23) was 3532 t ($30.9 million USDs). In 2022–23, the USA was the biggest importer of frozen shrimp, followed by China, the European countries, Southeast Asia, Japan, and the Middle-East countries. We formulated a policy guidelines framework for the management and co-management of the green tiger shrimp fishery in Palk Bay based on a precautionary approach.