Global Research Effort on Hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha)-Insights from Scientometrics

Abstract

Tenualosa ilisha also known as Hilsa shad is one of the important anadromous fish species in South Asia and some of the middle eastern countries because of its economic, cultural and ecological significance. The importance of hilsa shad in this region has driven a large number of scientific studies and quantification of these studies is important to identify the knowledge gaps and future research directions. For this purpose, we conducted a scientometric analysis on hilsa shad research published in Web of Science database between 2000 and 2022. Our results indicated that the number of articles on hilsa shad has increased from 2000 to 2019 and the number of articles published between 2000 and 2020 was correlated with global annual hilsa production during the same period. Keyword analysis of articles identified 10 thematic areas in hilsa shad research. The evolution of these thematic areas indicated that studies on ‘the management of hilsa shad fisheries in the Bay of Bengal and surrounding countries’ had more recent interest among the scientific community. On the other hand, studies on ‘post-harvesting of hilsa shad products’ have been more conventional and had fewer publications. Thematic areas related to hilsa shad stock assessment and genetics indicated that more state-of-art techniques are needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the hilsa shad population structure. Studies on trophic ecology and hilsa shad aquaculture are key topics that need and novel technology-based research. More socio-economic studies are encouraged to understand the sustainability of hilsa fisheries management. Overall, our results highlight the necessity for improvements in local and international collaborations towards the sustainable management of trans-boundary hilsa shad fishery in the region.