Abstract
The length–weight relations of ten fish species representing eight genera and four families and that formed the backbone of the subsistence fishery in the Lakshadweep islands were estimated. These fishes which included four species of tuna [Katsuwonus pelamis (Linnaeus, 1758); Thunnus albacares (Bonnaterre, 1788); Auxis thazard (Lacepède, 1800); Euthynnus affinis (Cantor, 1849)], three species of needlefishes[Ablennes hians (Valenciennes, 1846); Tylosurus crocodilus (Péron et Leseur, 1821); Tylosurus acus melanotus (Bleeker, 1850)], two species of bait fishes [Spratelloides delicatulus (Bennett, 1832); Spratelloides gracilis (Temminck et Schlegel, 1846)], and one species of halfbeak (Hemiramphus archipelagicus Collette et Parin, 1978) contributed to 96% of the total fish landings. The samples were collected from fish landing centers of ten inhabited islands of Lakshadweep from 2015 to 2017. Katsuwonus pelamis showed isometric growth, S. delicatulus and S. gracilis exhibited positive allometry, while negative allometric growth was seen in other species. The coefficient a of the LWR ranged from 0.001 (A. hians) to 0.035 (T. albacares), while b ranged from 2.7 (T. acus melanotus) to 3.4 (S. delicatulus). The results of the presently reported study provide useful biological information on the stock of ten commercially important pelagic fish species supporting the traditional fisheries in Lakshadweep waters.
Highlights
The relation between body weight and length is important for fishery biology, especially in understanding the state of fish stock and assessing the population structure based on the age- and length-structured models (Pope 1972; Sparre et al 1989)
The Lakshadweep archipelago, which includes a group of 36 islands lies in the southern Arabian Sea and is the only coral reef complex of India
The presently reported study is a compilation of Length–weight relations (LWRs) of eight highly landed pelagic fish species and two live-baits that support traditional pelagic fisheries in Lakshadweep waters
Summary
The relation between body weight and length is important for fishery biology, especially in understanding the state of fish stock and assessing the population structure based on the age- and length-structured models (Pope 1972; Sparre et al 1989). Length–weight relations (LWRs) are important tools for the morphological comparisons of different species within the same taxon and populations from different geographical area (Panda et al 2016; Karna et al 2020). There have been studies in the past to assess the stock of these species individually (Appukuttan et al 1977; Mohan and Kunhikoya 1985; Koya et al 2013; Shahul Hameed et al 2018), comprehensive documentation of LWR of all the major pelagic commercially exploited fishes from all the ten inhabited has been found lacking. The presently reported study is a compilation of LWRs of eight highly landed pelagic fish species and two live-baits that support traditional pelagic fisheries in Lakshadweep waters
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