Some aspects of spawning season and biology of Indian Oil sardine, <i>Sardinella longiceps</i> along, Goa – Karwar sector of West Coast of India

Abstract

The parameters of the length-weight relationship of the form W = aL^b are presented for <i>S. longiceps</i>, caught along the Goa and Karwar West coast of India. Samples from commercial (trawl, purse seines, and gill nets) and artisanal gears were collected during June to October 2013. Length weight relationship for males collected from Goa were W = 0.0109L^2.92, females were W = 0.019L^2.80, and for combined sexes were W = 0.0142L^2.87. Length weight analysis for the specimens collected from Karwar showed that males were W = 0.0054L^2.82, females W = 0.0174L^2.85 and combined W = 0.0109L^2.98 respectively. In Goa, females with maximum GSI value of 5.8073gm were observed in the month of June while minimum was 3.730 gm in the month of August, It has been that in Karwar, maximum GSI of 7.557gm and minimum of 4.094 gm in the months of August and September were observed respectively. Number of mature eggs in the ovaries of the gravid females of fish ranging from 55,000 to 76,000 Goa and 50,000 to 80,000 for sardines collected from Goa and Karwar, respectively.