Diversity and length-weight relationships of fishes from Lake Cala in tide season

Abstract

Lake Cala, a fishery potential oxbow lake, is located in Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra. Lake Cala is a wetland that flooded during high tide and become land in dry season. The study was conducted to determine present status of the diversity and the condition of fish. This study has been done at Lake Cala in February until March 2017. On this tide season, data were collected by fishers. The fish sampling was conducted using hook line, cast nets, gillnets and fish traps (corong). A total of 27 fish species belongs to three ordo,11 families, and 19 genera were recorded during the study. Diversity of fish in Lake Cala on the tide season is dominated by whitefishes. Based on its potency, most fish species are 59% consumption, 33% double potency, and 8% ornamental fish. Aro (Osteochilus melanopleura) and palau (O. vittatus) from Cyprinidae family, and baung (Mystus nemerus) from Bagridae family were dominant. The length-weight relationship showed that dominant two species of fish (baung and palau) had positive allometric growth patterns, while aro is isometric. Those parameters obtained from the study are useful fundamental information applicable in the future population dynamics studies. Furthermore, based on these result it was necessary to manage the fishing gears operation and regulating tributaries to maintain the process of fish on search for feed, distribution, and colonization of various species and populations.