Interrelationship of linear dimensions as growth corollary of pama croaker Otolithoides pama in the Bay of Bengal

Abstract

Growth pattern of pama croaker Otolithoides pama population in the Bay of Bengal was determinedas the corollary of relationships between standard length (SL) and total length (TL), the two most prevalentlyused linear dimensions of fin fish species. Monthly pama croaker samples were collected from the industrialfisheries in the Bay of Bengal. The length-length relationship was constructed algebraically in the form ofy=a+bx. Relationships between SL and TL for male, female and unsexed populations were separatelyestablished. Sex ratio between male and female did not deviate from the parity (?2 test; p>0.05). The SL andTL ranges of male were 7.2-22 cm and 9.5-28 cm respectively, and the SL and TL ranges of female were6.8-20 cm and 8.4-25.7 cm respectively. Intercept and slope varied monthly in all length-length relationshipsregardless of gender categories. The generalized SL-TL relationships of male, female and unsexedpopulations were TL=1.214SL+0.761(R=0.989), TL=1.212SL-0.770(R=0.990) and TL=1.203SL+0.904(R=0.987) respectively. The correlation coefficients of both monthly and generalized regression analyses ofall sex types were very high (R?0.852) which explained that the relationships between the two lengthdimensions were strongly correlated. The growth corollary appeared both as isometric and allometric formonthly populations. Allometric growth was apparent in July, August and September in all gender types,while isometric growth was deduced in other months. This study would be useful for future research in orderto make comparisons with the relevant aspects of O. pama population between years and locations in the Bayof Bengal.