Length weight relationship in Nemipterus japonicus of Ratnagiri coast along Maharashtra
P.S. Suresh Kumar, S.A. Mohite*, S.D. Naik* and A.S. Mohite**
College of Fisheries, Ratnagiri-415629 (India) *Department of Fisheries Biology, College of Fisheries, Ratnagiri – 415629 (India) For correspondence e – mail: sa_mohite@yahoo.co.in ** Department of Fisheries Engineering, College of Fisheries, Ratnagiri–415629 (India) drkhanss_micro@yahoo.co.uk
ABSTRACT
The threadfin bream (pink perch), N. japonicus is the most dominant among all the fish species landed along the Ratnagiri coast. Though nemipterids are mostly consumed in fresh condition, they have a great demand in the fish processing industry for fish sausage and fishery by-products. Exploitation of 1+ year group was observed along Ranagiri coast. Hence age and growth study was undertaken. Study of length – weight relationship of these fishes along the Ratnagiri coast of Maharashtra, gave the equations for males: W = 4.1904 L 2.7671, females: W = 4.3385 L 2.6168, indeterminate: W = 4.9880 L 2.9812 and for total: W = 4.4780 L 2.6285. During the present study, the length-weight relationship of N. japonicus indicated significant departure from isometric growth expressed by the equation, W=aLn. Growth rate was highest in indeterminate fishes, followed by males and females.