Ask any fisheries examiner what separates a prepared candidate from a guessing one, and the answer is usually the same: fishing crafts and gears. It is the one topic that appears in almost every CIFE, ICAR and state fisheries exam — and the one where confident-sounding wrong answers are easiest to give. Is a gillnet active or passive gear? What exactly does a purse line do? Which state banned purse seining, and what did the Supreme Court say about it in September 2026?
This set of 20 MCQs covers the whole syllabus slice: FAO’s international gear classification, the trawls and nets that dominate India’s marine catch, the mesh-size rules that decide what a net may legally catch, and the court orders and government bans that examiners love to test. Every answer is explained, and every fact is tied to a source you can check — the FAO classification, ICAR-CIFT, a Lok Sabha answer, or a Supreme Court judgment. Try the questions first, then read the key.
Images in this post are illustrations, not photographs of real vessels or fishers.
Why crafts and gears decide exam scores
India’s marine fishing fleet is enormous — 64,414 mechanised fishing vessels, according to the Union Fisheries Minister’s answer to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1324 on 11 February 2026. Maharashtra alone has 20,062 of them, followed by Gujarat with 18,559. The same answer’s annexure shows marine fish production rising from 34.76 lakh tonnes to 46.15 lakh tonnes over the five years it lists, and notes that the catch is largely contributed by mechanised vessels. In other words, the gear is the fishery: the net, the line and the boat decide what is caught, what escapes, and what survives to breed.
That is why regulators fight over gear more than over anything else. A 35 mm mesh rule decides whether juveniles live. A ban on pair trawling decides whether small fishers can compete. And a court order on purse seining decides who may fish where, out to 12 nautical miles and beyond. If you can answer the 20 questions below without hesitation, you know this topic cold.
Quick revision table — read this before the questions
| Gear | FAO ISSCFG code | How it catches fish | Indian note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purse seine | PS (01.1) | Surrounding net; purse line closes the bottom | Banned in Tamil Nadu territorial waters since 25 Mar 2000 (G.O. Ms. No. 40) |
| Single boat bottom otter trawl | OTB (03.12) | Towed conical bag net; otter boards spread the mouth | Most common mechanised gear; Kerala MFRA mesh limit 35 mm |
| Beam trawl | TBB (03.11) | Rigid beam holds the mouth open | Used for flatfish and shrimps on the bottom |
| Gillnet | 07 (gillnets & entangling nets) | Passive; fish gilled/tangled in the mesh | Set, drift, encircling and fixed types; mesh size selects fish size |
| Trammel net | 07.5 | Three panels: fine inner mesh between two large-mesh outer panels | Fish push through the outer panel and pocket the inner one |
| Longline | 09.3 | Mainline with baited hooks on branch lines (snoods) | Pelagic longlines target tuna; set longlines work the bottom |
| Dol net | Bag net (stationary) | Fixed bag net worked entirely by the tidal current | NW coast (Gujarat/Maharashtra); main catch Bombay duck |
| Cast net | Falling gear (06) | Circular net with sinkers, thrown by hand | Used in sea, rivers and lakes; one of the oldest gears |
The 20 MCQs
Q1. The revised International Standard Statistical Classification of Fishing Gear (ISSCFG) was endorsed by FAO’s Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics (CWP) in which year?
(a) 1982 (b) 2000 (c) 2016 (d) 2021
Q2. What is the ISSCFG code for purse seines?
(a) PS (b) PT (c) GN (d) LL
Q3. A single boat bottom otter trawl carries which ISSCFG code?
(a) TBB (b) OTB (c) OTT (d) PTB
Q4. In a purse seine, what closes the bottom of the net after the fish school is encircled?
(a) The otter board (b) The purse line (c) The codend (d) The footrope
Q5. In a trawl net, the codend is best described as:
(a) The two wings at the front of the net (b) The bag at the rear where the catch concentrates (c) The floats that keep the mouth open (d) The anchor that holds the net in place
Q6. What spreads the mouth of an otter trawl horizontally while it is towed?
(a) A rigid steel beam (b) Otter boards (doors) (c) Surface floats (d) The tidal current
Q7. In a beam trawl, the mouth of the net is held open by:
(a) Otter boards (b) A rigid beam (c) A kite (d) The towing speed alone
Q8. Why do fisheries scientists recommend a square-mesh codend over a diamond-mesh codend?
(a) Square mesh is cheaper to make (b) Square mesh stays open under tension, letting juveniles escape (c) Square mesh catches more fish of every size (d) Square mesh is heavier and sinks faster
Q9. Under Kerala’s Marine Fishing Regulation Act, the mesh size of trawl nets is limited to:
(a) 20 mm (b) 25 mm (c) 35 mm (d) 50 mm
Q10. In the CIFT-WWF square-mesh codend trials, which two mesh sizes were found allowed — one for fishes and one for shrimps?
(a) 20 mm for fishes, 15 mm for shrimps (b) 35 mm for fishes, 25 mm for shrimps (c) 40 mm for fishes, 30 mm for shrimps (d) 50 mm for fishes, 40 mm for shrimps
Q11. A gillnet catches fish mainly by:
(a) Filtering water as it is towed (b) Gilling and tangling — the mesh catches the fish behind its gills (c) Hooking the fish on baited hooks (d) Trapping fish in a fixed chamber
Q12. A trammel net is constructed as:
(a) A single wall of uniform mesh (b) Three panels — a fine-mesh inner panel between two large-mesh outer panels (c) A conical bag with two wings (d) A circular net with lead sinkers around the edge
Q13. A longline consists of:
(a) A mainline with baited hooks on branch lines (snoods) (b) A wall of netting anchored to the seabed (c) Two boats towing one net between them (d) A fixed bag net set against the tide
Q14. The dol net, the fixed bag net of India’s north-west coast, is worked entirely by:
(a) Engine power (b) The tidal current (c) Wind power (d) Manual hauling from the shore
Q15. Bombay duck (Harpodon nehereus) is the main catch of which gear?
(a) Purse seine (b) Dol net (c) Cast net (d) Longline
Q16. In Kerala, the fixed bag net known elsewhere as the dol net is locally called:
(a) Rampani (b) Oonivala (c) Surukku valai (d) Behundijal
Q17. Tamil Nadu’s G.O. Ms. No. 40, dated 25 March 2000, banned which two fishing methods in the state’s territorial waters?
(a) Gillnetting and longlining (b) Pair trawling and purse seining (c) Beam trawling and cast netting (d) Dol netting and trammel netting
Q18. In its judgment of 2 September 2026 (Fisherman Care v Government of India), the Supreme Court allowed purse-seine fishing in the EEZ on which days?
(a) Every day (b) Saturdays and Sundays only (c) Mondays and Thursdays, 8 am to 6 pm (d) Only during the 61-day fishing ban
Q19. The central government’s order dated 10 November 2017 banned which practices in the Indian EEZ?
(a) Only gillnetting (b) LED light fishing, bull trawling and pair trawling (c) Only purse seining (d) Only mechanised trawling
Q20. According to the Lok Sabha answer of 11 February 2026, which state has the most mechanised fishing vessels in India?
(a) Gujarat (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Maharashtra (d) Kerala
Answer key with explanations
Q1 — (c) 2016. The revised ISSCFG was endorsed and adopted by the FAO Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics (CWP) at its 25th Session in Rome in February 2016. The earlier classification grouped gears into 14 categories; the 2016 revision updated it.
Q2 — (a) PS. In the revised ISSCFG, surrounding nets are category 01, and purse seines are sub-category 01.1 with the standard abbreviation PS. Surrounding nets without purse lines are LA (01.2).
Q3 — (b) OTB. Trawls are category 03. Single boat bottom otter trawls are coded OTB (03.12); twin bottom otter trawls are OTT, bottom pair trawls PTB, and beam trawls TBB.
Q4 — (b) The purse line. A purse seine is a surrounding net: it encircles the school, and then the purse line running through rings along the bottom edge is pulled tight, closing the bottom so fish cannot escape by diving.
Q5 — (b) The bag at the rear where the catch concentrates. A trawl is a conical bag net with two wings and a codend — the codend is the closed bag at the back where the catch is collected.
Q6 — (b) Otter boards (doors). Otter boards are flat, heavy boards towed at an angle; water pressure pushes them apart, spreading the mouth of the net horizontally. That is what makes it an “otter” trawl.
Q7 — (b) A rigid beam. In a beam trawl, a rigid steel beam holds the net mouth open at a fixed width, instead of otter boards. Beam trawls are coded TBB in the ISSCFG.
Q8 — (b) Square mesh stays open under tension, letting juveniles escape. Under tow, a diamond mesh closes up and traps small fish; a square mesh keeps its opening, so juveniles and small non-target fish can swim out. CIFT-WWF trials at Sakthikulangara, Kollam, showed lower juvenile and bycatch with square-mesh codends.
Q9 — (c) 35 mm. Kerala’s Marine Fishing Regulation Act limits the mesh size of trawl nets to 35 mm — the figure quoted by a CMFRI scientist in 2015, and the same size CIFT recommends for fish trawls. Note the Act’s mesh stipulation applies to trawling boats; other gears are not covered the same way.
Q10 — (b) 35 mm for fishes, 25 mm for shrimps. The CIFT-WWF study reported that two square-mesh codends are allowed: 35 mm for fishes and 25 mm for shrimps. The 25 mm size was used in the trials for shrimp varieties.
Q11 — (b) Gilling and tangling. Gillnets are passive gears: a fish swims into the netting, its head passes through a mesh, and the mesh catches behind the gills so it cannot back out. Mesh size therefore selects the size of fish caught — the core principle of mesh regulation.
Q12 — (b) Three panels. A trammel net has a fine-mesh inner panel sandwiched between two large-mesh outer panels. A fish passes through the outer panel, hits the loose inner panel and pushes it through the far outer mesh, forming a pocket that traps it.
Q13 — (a) A mainline with baited hooks on branch lines (snoods). Longlines are hooks-and-lines gear (ISSCFG category 09): a long mainline carries many short branch lines, each ending in a baited hook. Pelagic (drifting) longlines target tuna and swordfish; set longlines work the bottom.
Q14 — (b) The tidal current. The dol net is a fixed bag net set in strong tidal streams off Gujarat and Maharashtra. It is worked entirely by the tides: set facing the incoming current, then reversed as the tide recedes, so fish are driven into the tapering bag by the force of the water itself.
Q15 — (b) Dol net. Bombay duck (Harpodon nehereus) is the main constituent of dol-net catches — so much so that the dol-net fishery is synonymous with the Bombay duck fishery. Studies off the Saurashtra coast found Bombay duck forms 68.6–77% of total dol-net landings.
Q16 — (b) Oonivala. The same fixed bag net is called dol net / Bokshi Jal / Kavi Jal on the north-west coast, Behundijal on the north-east coast, and Oonivala in Kerala. (Rampani is a shore seine of Maharashtra; Surukku valai is the Tamil name for purse seine.)
Q17 — (b) Pair trawling and purse seining. Tamil Nadu’s G.O. Ms. No. 40 (Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department), dated 25 March 2000, prohibited fishing by pair trawling or with purse-seine nets by any vessel or craft in the entire coastal areas of Tamil Nadu in the territorial waters, as a conservation measure for juvenile fish.
Q18 — (c) Mondays and Thursdays, 8 am to 6 pm. In Fisherman Care v Government of India (2026 INSC 937, judgment 2 September 2026), the Supreme Court reaffirmed that Tamil Nadu’s ban holds within 12 nautical miles, but granted conditional relief: purse-seine fishing in the EEZ beyond 12 NM is allowed on Mondays and Thursdays between 8 am and 6 pm, under the Centre’s access-pass and tracking rules.
Q19 — (b) LED light fishing, bull trawling and pair trawling. The central government’s order dated 10 November 2017 banned bull/pair trawling and the use of artificial lights (LED, halogen) and fish attractors for fishing in the Indian EEZ, within and beyond territorial waters. The Bombay High Court at Goa ordered strict enforcement of this ban in May 2025 (Writ Petition No. 403 of 2022), with quarterly compliance reports from the fisheries department, Coast Guard and coastal police.
Q20 — (c) Maharashtra. The Lok Sabha answer lists 64,414 mechanised fishing vessels in India, with Maharashtra highest at 20,062, followed by Gujarat (18,559), Tamil Nadu (5,029), Karnataka (4,845), Kerala (3,748) and West Bengal (3,275). The state figures sum exactly to the national total.
Four rapid-fire facts examiners love
- Active vs passive: trawls, seines and troll lines are active gears (the gear moves to catch fish); gillnets, entangling nets, hooks and lines and traps are passive (the fish comes to the gear). This is the single most-asked classification question.
- Catamaran: the kattumaram of Tamil Nadu is a traditional craft of logs lashed together — the word itself comes from Tamil kattu (to tie) + maram (wood). It is the classic example of a non-mechanised traditional craft, alongside dug-out canoes, plank-built canoes and masula boats.
- 61-day uniform fishing ban: every year, mechanised fishing is banned for 61 days — 15 April to 14 June on the east coast and 1 June to 31 July on the west coast. Traditional non-motorised units are exempt. The ban protects spawning fish, and it is a favourite one-mark question.
- CIFT: the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, set up in 1957, is India’s only national centre for fishing and fish-processing technology — the institute behind the square-mesh codend work and much of India’s gear research.
How to use this set
- Attempt all 20 before reading the key. A score of 16+ means the topic is exam-ready; below 12, re-read the revision table and the explanations.
- Memorise the codes: PS (purse seine), OTB (single otter trawl), TBB (beam trawl). Examiners ask codes directly, and they are the easiest marks in the paper.
- Learn the dates as a timeline: 2000 — Tamil Nadu bans pair trawling and purse seining; 2016 — revised ISSCFG endorsed; 2017 — Centre bans LED fishing, bull and pair trawling; 2025 — EEZ Rules published (4 Nov); 2026 — Supreme Court purse-seine order (2 Sep).
- Revise with the companion sets linked below — IUU fishing, fisheries acts and Indian marine fisheries all share questions with this topic.
Frequently asked questions
Which gear is most important for India’s marine catch?
Trawls — mechanised trawlers land the bulk of the marine catch. The Lok Sabha answer of February 2026 notes the marine catch is largely contributed by mechanised vessels, and trawlers are the dominant mechanised gear.
What is the difference between mechanised, motorised and non-motorised craft?
Mechanised craft have engines and mechanised gear handling (trawlers, purse seiners, gillnetters); motorised craft are traditional boats fitted with outboard engines; non-motorised craft rely on sail or oar — catamarans, dug-out canoes and masula boats. The 61-day ban applies to mechanised boats, not to traditional non-motorised units.
Why is mesh size regulated at all?
Mesh size decides which fish can escape. A small mesh catches juveniles before they breed, which collapses the stock. That is why Kerala caps trawl mesh at 35 mm and why CIFT promotes square-mesh codends that stay open under tension.
Is purse seining legal in India now?
It depends where. Tamil Nadu’s 2000 ban still holds within 12 nautical miles of its coast. Beyond 12 NM, in the EEZ, the Supreme Court’s 2 September 2026 order allows it on Mondays and Thursdays, 8 am to 6 pm, under the Centre’s access-pass rules. Other states have their own rules — check the state MFRA before assuming.
Where can I read the official sources?
The FAO gear classification, the Supreme Court judgment (2026 INSC 937), the Lok Sabha answer (Q No. 1324, 11 February 2026) and the CIFT square-mesh studies are all linked below.
Related Fisheries India question banks
Keep revising with our other MCQ sets: IUU Fishing MCQs: 20 Questions Every Aspirant Must Ace, Fisheries Acts MCQs: 20 Questions Every Aspirant Must Ace, Indian Marine Fisheries: 20 MCQs Aspirants Must Ace, and Coral Reef MCQs: 20 Questions Every Aspirant Must Ace.
Official sources
- FAO — Classification and illustrated definition of fishing gears (ISSCFG Rev.1, CWP 25th Session, Rome, February 2016) (purse seines PS 01.1; single boat bottom otter trawls OTB 03.12; beam trawls TBB; purse line; trawl and codend definitions; verified 7 November 2026)
- Supreme Court of India — Fisherman Care v Government of India, 2026 INSC 937 (2 September 2026) (Tamil Nadu G.O. Ms. No. 40 dated 25 March 2000; 12 NM boundary; EEZ purse seining on Mondays and Thursdays, 8 am–6 pm; verified 7 November 2026)
- PIB — Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1324, answered 11 February 2026 (64,414 mechanised vessels; state-wise figures; marine production 34.76 to 46.15 lakh tonnes; fifth Marine Fisheries Census 2025; verified 7 November 2026)
- The New Indian Express, 2 May 2021 — CIFT-WWF square-mesh codend study, Sakthikulangara, Kollam (35 mm for fishes, 25 mm for shrimps; juvenile and bycatch reduction; verified 7 November 2026)
- The Navhind Times, 9 May 2025 — Bombay High Court orders strict enforcement of LED fishing ban (central order dated 10 November 2017; LED fishing, bull trawling and pair trawling banned; verified 7 November 2026)
All dates, figures and rules above are taken from the official and cited sources listed, verified 7 November 2026. The MCQ answers are exam-revision summaries of those sources, not a substitute for the bare Acts, rules or judgments. The 34.76–46.15 lakh-tonne production figures are the five-year series in the Lok Sabha annexure, given without year labels because the release text does not restate the column years. No deadline or application window applies to an MCQ set, so none is claimed. Images in this post are illustrations.