NAGA,WorldFish Center Quarterly Vol. 27 No. 3 & 4 Jul-Dec 2004 24 articles Padal fishing - A unique fishing method in the Ashtamudi Estuary of Kerala (south India) J .V.Thomas and B.M. Kurup Abstract Bush park fishing / padal fishing is an indigenous fishing method widely employed in the Ashtamudi estuary of Kerala (south India). An artificial reef made from twigs and leaves of trees is planted in the shallow areas of the estuary.The aim is to harvest fish that find shelter in these structures for the purpose of feeding and breeding.Though the State Department of Fisheries has banned this method of fishing in the inland waters of Kerala, 400 padals are operating in this estuary. About 300 of them are anchored in the western parts of the estuary (west Kayal). Fish are harvested in the padals at monthly intervals almost round the year and this results in the destruction of a sizeable quantity of juveniles and sub-adults of the commercially important fishes, such as Pearl spot and mullets, from the estuary.These padals pose a major threat to the sustainability of the fishery resources of this estuary and, therefore, need to be phased out by providing alternative occupations for the fishermen who are dependant on the padals . Introduction The Ashtamudi estuary is a tropical backwater habitat in the Kollam district of Kerala, situated on the southwest coast of India along the Arabian Sea (Figure 1). The estuary, the second largest on the southwest coast of India, is palm-shaped, has eight branches, covers an area of about 32 km 2 and lies between latitudes 80.52’ and 80.60’ N and longitudes 76 0 30’ and 76 0 40’ E (Divakaran et al. 1982).This estuary is one of the foremost centres of marine fi sh production and landings along the Kerala coast (Thressiama and Nair 1980) and receives much attention due to its rich and varied fi shery resources and an annual production of 23 000 t of fi sh (Kurup and Thomas 2001).The fi shery resources are comprised of migrant stock of both estuarine and marine species of commercially important fi nfi shes, such as Etroplus suratensis (pearlspot), Arius spp. (catfi sh), Mugil spp. (mullets), Chanos chanos (milkfi sh), shrimps (like Penaeus indicus , P . monodon and Metapenaeus dobsoni) , mud crabs (Scylla serrata) and portunid crab (Portunus pelagicus), and bivalves (Villorita cyprinoids, Katalesia opima, Paphia malabaricus, Meretrix meretrix and M. casta) .This estuary differs from other estuaries in Kerala by virtue of its unique structure and fi shery resources: it is situated perpendicular to the shore and has unusual species like oil sardines and Crassostrea madrasensis (edible oyster) (Kurup and Thomas 2001). Gill nets, cast nets, pole and line, hook and line, seine, diving and dredging are the major types of fi shing methods used in the estuary (Table 1). In addition to this, a special type of fi shing method, popularly known as pada l fi shing or bush park fi shing, is also Figure 1. Location of Padal fishing in the Ashtamudi estuary.