Length-Weight Relationships and Condition Factors of Three Epinephelus Grouper (Epinephelidae) Harvested in the Northern Coast of Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

The current research reports the length-weight relationships (LWRs) and Fulton’s condition factor (K) of three grouper species, namely: areolate grouper (Epinephelus areolatus), blacktip grouper (Epinephelus fasciatus), and honeycomb grouper (Epinephelus merra) harvested in the northern coast of Aceh, Indonesia. The fish samples were gathered from Pelabuhan Perikanan Samudera (PPS) Lampulo, Kuta Alam District, Banda Aceh, Aceh from June - December 2020. In total, 571 grouper specimens were collected during the study period (186 of E. areolatus, 205 specimens of E. fasciatus, and 180 E. merra). The total length (TL) of each fish species ranged from: 125.9-302.5 mm (mean 222.5 ± 30.3) (E. areolatus), 113.3-268.6 mm (mean 196.6 ± 26.9) (E. fasciatus) and 111.1-215.4 mm (mean 162.9 ± 21.7) (E. merra) with weight (W): 25.5-367.6 g (mean 145.8 ± 64.6) (E. areolatus), 24.0-290.9 g (mean 130.3 ± 56.2) (E. fasciatus) and 24.0-290.9 g (mean 130.3 ± 56.2) (E. fasciatus). In addition, the observed Fulton (K) condition factor and Ws values for all the three species were above 100 and 1. Furthermore, the LWRs analysis results revealed that all three fish species showed the b value of 3.0548 (r2=0.97), 3.0466 (r2=0.94) and 3.1681 (r2=0.97) for E. areolatus, E. fasciatus and E. merra, respectively, indicating that the three observed fish species had a positive allometric growth pattern and had a solid relationship between body weight and total length. This study delivers a reference point of several biological characteristics of the observed grouper species that will benefit and improve the fisheries management in the region.