Archives of Current Research International

Technical documentation of fishing gear requires information on the vessels and operations with which it is used. This study characterises gillnets, associated craft and reported fishing operations at Thoppumpady Harbour, Kochi, using three survey schedules containing 41 records each, dated 17 December 2022–10 January 2023. Variables were summarised descriptively after unit standardisation, with uncertain fields excluded from quantitative interpretation. All gear records described green nylon webbing. Mesh size ranged from 120 to 155 mm, with 135–150 mm accounting for 80.5% of records; 87.8% reported 0.6-mm twine. Total net length averaged 1.65 ± 0.30 km. Craft LOA ranged from 18 to 25 m and engine power from 90 to 420 hp. All craft records indicated both gillnet and longline use. Tuna (Scombridae) and marlin (Istiophoridae) were consistently reported as broad target groups. Mean trip duration was 26.17 ± 4.87 days, soaking time 8.59 ± 2.49 h, catch 20.34 ± 5.15 t per trip, fuel consumption 3,014.63 ± 636.22 L per trip and operational expenditure INR 643,171 ± 184,017 per trip. Removing one short-trip record produced modest changes in means but reduced dispersion. The findings identify concentrated net configurations alongside heterogeneous vessel power and operational requirements. The survey provides a descriptive baseline for the sampled dual-gear operations. A linked vessel–trip–set recording system is needed to extend this technical baseline to gear-specific performance, selectivity and environmental monitoring.