Abstract
The Pinkear Emperor (Lethrinus lentjan, Laćepède, 1802) is among the three demersal species dominating fish catches in the artisanal fishery on the Kenyan coast. Available data indicate that total landings of L. lentjan have declined over the past decade due to possible over-exploitation. This paper provides a brief account of the stock status of this species and biological aspects including length-weight relationship, body condition, and reproduction from a total of 575 fish specimens sampled. Sampling was done at Msambweni, Shimoni, Majoreni and Vanga fish landing sites on the south coast of Kenya from September 2016 to February 2017. Individual total length (TL, cm) and body weight (BW, g) was measured on site while some specimens were dissected for sex and gonad maturity analysis. Mortality, exploitation rate, length-weight relationship, condition factor, fecundity, and size at maturity (L50) were determined. Length frequency analysis indicated that L. lentjan was exploited above the optimum level, at E = 0.55 (exploitation rate). Growth was allometric with the length exponent (b = 2.95) being significantly <3. Mean fecundity was 89,573 ± 9,841 eggs/female/year. Gonadosomatic index was highest in January (2.08 ± 0.20) suggesting a possible peak spawning period at this time. The study provides a brief scientific overview of L. lentjan as a baseline for future in-depth biological studies of this species along the Kenyan coast.
Highlights
Hicks and McClanahan (2012) reported that L. lentjan accounted for 22% of the total catch on the south coast of Kenya and forms one of the top 3 species landed along with Siganus sutor (Valenciennes, 1835) and Leptoscarus viagiensis (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824)
This study provides a brief overview of biological aspects of L. lentjan on the south coast of Kenya as a baseline for in-depth future studies on this important commercial species
The growth coefficient K of 0.25/yr obtained in this study suggests that the growth of L. lentjan in Kenyan waters is much slower than that recorded in the waters of Tanzania (1.00/yr) (Benno, 1992) and Yemen (0.48/yr) (Aldonov and Druzhinin, 1979)
Summary
Lethrinids are among the most commercially important group of fishes on many tropical coasts (El Gammal, 1988) and are considered a good source of animal protein for the communities of the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean (Carpenter and Allen, 1989). Hicks and McClanahan (2012) reported that L. lentjan accounted for 22% of the total catch on the south coast of Kenya and forms one of the top 3 species landed along with Siganus sutor (Valenciennes, 1835) and Leptoscarus viagiensis (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824). Mrombo et al 2002; Kaunda-Arara et al, 2003) Generally, no comprehensive stock assessment and biological studies of L. lentjan have been conducted on the Kenyan coast. This study was conducted at Vanga, Mkunguni, Shimoni and Majoreni fish landing sites on the south coast of Kenya (Fig. 1).
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