Gonadal maturation profile and fecundity of the Johnieops sina (Cuvier, 1830) from Ratnagiri coast of India

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1 Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences Vol. 43(9), September 2014, pp Gonadal maturation profile and fecundity of the Johnieops sina (Cuvier, 1830) from Ratnagiri coast of India Tarkeshwar Kumar*, S. K. Chakraborty, A. K. Jaiswar, K. M. Sandhya, Tasaduq Hussain Shah, Debabrata Panda, Bhawesh T. Sawant, G. B. Sreekanth and Roshan R. Akhade Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Versova, Andheri (West), Mumbai , India *[ Received 12 January 2013; revised 28 January 2013 Sin Croacker, Johnieops sina (Cuvier, 1830) is one of the commercially important and common demersal fish in the coastal of Ratnagiri along southern Maharashtra, India. In the context of local demand and economic importance, the gonadal maturation profile and fecundity of J. sina has been studied. Spent, mature and maturing females were recorded in almost all months of the year suggesting the multiple and prolonged breeding behaviour. Result also indicated marginal dominance of males over females except September (1:0.49), where significant predominance of male was observed at 5% level of significant. Absolute fecundity ranged from 24,800 to 126,880 eggs (average: 83,313) from the ovary weighing between 1.28 to 5.2 g. Monthly changes in the Gonado-somatic and Hepato-somatic Index (GSI & HSI) also revealed it s prolong spawning with two peaks; the first peak in September- November and the second in February-April, which indicates J. sina spawn twice in a year. Females of the species were found to attain sexual maturity at a minimum size of 131 mm total length. [Keyword: sciaenids, Johnieops sina, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, croaker, spawning] Introduction Fishery management involves information on different aspects of the reproductive biology of the fishes, since the reproductive traits of the particular species determine its resilience capacity and sustainably on exploitation 1. Reproduction is the process by which species are perpetuated and the success of any fish species is finally determined by the capability of its members to reproduce successfully in a changing environment 2. Therefore information of the reproductive strategy and spawning process is necessary for a complete understanding of the population dynamics of any fish species 3,4 in turn to advice fishery management measures aimed at achieving sustainable exploitation of a vulnerable species 5. Sciaenids are an important group of exploited demersal resources, contributing around 5.4% (1.66 lakh tonnes) to the total marine fish landings of India 6. About 48 species of sciaenids belongs to 27 genera recorded in Indian Ocean 7. Johnieops sina, commonly known as sin croacker and locally called as dhoma is one of the important small sized sciaenid which forms a good fishery along the west coast of India and forms about 8.4% of total sciaenid catch in Maharashtra 6. Various aspects of reproductive biology of J. sina have been investigated from abroad and India. Study on reproductive biology from abroad includes that of Schultz 8 off Sofala bank in Mozambique, Yousif et al. 9 from Khor Al-Zubair NW Arabian Gulf, Hussein et al. 10 from the Shatt Al-Arab Estuary, NW Arabian Gulf, and Mahdi 11 from Shatt Al- Arab estuary, northwest Arabian Gulf. From Indian, Bhusari 12 studied biology of the species 13, 14 from Ratnagiri coast, Maharashtra. Nair investigated maturity and spawning habit from Calicut of India. Telvekar et al. 15 studied some aspects of biology from Mumbai of India. Manojkumar 16 studied the fishery biology and stock assessment of the species from the Malabar coasts of India. Literature search revealed that studies on reproductive biology of this species are lacking from Ratnagiri except Bhusari 12 who did preliminary investigation on some aspects of biology and fishery. Furthermore, there has been tremendous urbanization and industrialization since then (last 40 years). This has led to changes in aquatic environment in the area that must have changed the ecology of area resulting in change in food availability etc. In addition, there has been modernization in craft and gear with very high efficiency that has changed the fishery scenario dramatically. In this context, present study has become important to know the changes in occurred reproductive biology of selected fish and also urgent need for the management of this species. Therefore, present investigation on reproductive biology of J. sina from Ratnagiri was carried out. Materials and Methods Fish specimens examined during the present study were collected regularly from the trawl catches landed at Mirkarwada landing centre in Ratnagiri coast of India (Latitude: 16º 33' 45'' - 17º 35' 00'' N and Longitude: 72º 94' 20'' - 73º 14' 15'' E in the Arabian Sea). Trawlers operated in an area about 20 miles north and south of Ratnagiri at

2 TARKESHWAR et al.: GONADAL MATURATION PROFILE AND FECUNDITY OF THE JOHNIEOPS SINA 1747 a depth of 25-75m, having legal mesh size of mm (Fig. 1). Sampling procedure For the present study, a total of 1031 specimens to 1000 eggs were examined from each ovary in order to reduce the possible errors in representation of different stages of maturity. Digital Microscope/ Camera Software (Motic Images Plus 2.0ML) were used to measure ova diameter. The measured ova diameters were grouped into 0.03 millimeters division class intervals and their frequency polygons were drawn. To study GSI and HSI, weight of ovary and liver of each specimen was measured to the nearest 0.05 g by electronic balance. The GSI was calculated month-wise and sex-wise using the equation 22 : Fig. 1- Map showing location of sampling area of Ratnagiri of India. of J. sina (Cuiver, 1830) in the length range of mm and weight range of g were collected randomly during December, 2009 to November, 2011 at monthly intervals. Fish were brought to the laboratory and after washing, total length (TL) of each specimen was measured to the nearest 1 mm using a fish measuring board and the weight (WT) was recorded to the nearest 1 g using an electronic balance. Then the fish was cut open ventrally and the sex and maturity stage were recorded. Gonads were removed and weighed to the nearest g using an electronic balance. Ovaries were preserved in 5% neutral formalin for subsequent analyses of maturation and spawning. Fecundity and ova diameter were determined from preserved ovaries after separation of ova by using Gilson s fluid 17. Maturity stages were classified based on colour, shape, size and the space occupied by the ovary in the body cavity. In addition, ova diameter and deposition of the yolk in the ova were also taken into consideration for recognizing maturity stages as per using ICES (International Council for Exploration of the Seas) scale 18 which was also followed by Sivakami 19. The percentage occurrence of various stages of maturity in different months was studied for 24 months (December 2009 to November 2011) and the spawning period was ascertained from the occurrence of ripe specimens in the collected samples. Ova diameter measurements of intra ovarian eggs were recorded from preserved ovaries of different maturity stages as described by Clark 20 and Prabhu 21. The ova from anterior, middle and posterior region were examined to know differential pattern of egg maturity. A total of 900 To know the nutritional state of the fish, the hepato-somatic index (HSI) was calculated on monthly basis following Busacker et al. 23 Where, LW was liver weight (g) and TW total weight of fish (g). Length at first maturity (Lm) Length at first sexual maturity (L m ) was calculated by grouping the fish sex-wise into 10 mm size groups. Fish from stage III onwards were considered as mature. Using the fraction of mature fish at various size groups, the logistic function was fitted 1 using the equation: Where, P = proportion of mature fish in length class L, r = the width of the maturity curve and L m = length at which 50% population attained maturity The gravimetric method, which is based on the relation between ovary weight and the oocyte density in the ovary, was used for estimation of fecundity 24, 25. It was estimated from 22 mature/ripe preserved ovaries by counting the number of mature ova from a known weight of mature/ripe ovary. A subsample of 0.05g was weighed each from three segments (anterior, middle and posterior) of each ovary with accuracy of 0.001g. Eggs were separated using Gilson s fluid 17. Subsamples were spread evenly on a counting slide with a few drops of water and the number of mature ova was counted. Average number of ova counted in three portions was considered for determination of fecundity: Relative fecundity (number of eggs / unit body weight) was estimated by dividing absolute fecundity with total weight of fish. The relation of fecundity F with total length TL, total weight TW and ovary weight OW was established by following formula 26 :

3 1748 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL 43 NO. 9 SEPTEMBER 2014, and Where, a & b - are constants, TL is total length in mm, TW is body weight (g) and OW is ovary weight (g) The least square method was used to determine the correlation coefficient between fecundity and total length and body weight. The occurrence of number of males and females in the sampled catch was recorded for two years and their ratio was calculated with respect to different months and sizes. To know the homogeneity of the distribution of sex, Chi-square test was applied 27 : Where, O is observed frequencies and E - is expected frequencies. Results The length frequency distribution of J. sina from Ratnagiri coast, India during the year December 2009 to November 2011 depicted in Figure 2. In the year 2009, 2010 and 2011, the largest percentage of J. sina (80%) was found to be within the length of 160 mm. percentage in the month of May (9.09%) and October (8.33%). Thus the spent, mature and maturing female found in the almost all months indicates it s multiple and prolonged breeding habit. Stage II and III were also observed throughout the year except March (stage II) while stage I was could not be seen during the month of January and April. Length at first maturity (L m ) Estimation of length at first maturity is based on the examination of maturity stages of 485 mature females in stage III onwards where a maturity curve was plotted by taking the proportion of mature females against their mean of length groups (Fig. 3). The length at which 50% of the fish attain maturity was estimated to be 131 mm for females. The percentage distribution of maturity stages according to different length groups shown in Table 3. Ova diameter studies have been conducted using 30 ovaries in various stages of maturity. Out of them finally six ovaries were selected, (Fig. 4). Fig. 2- Length frequency distribution of J. sina from Ratnagiri coasts of India during Maturity stages and spawning season Classification of maturity stages in J. sina is based on colour and space occupied by the ovary in body the cavity, appearance of ova under microscope and size of ova (Table 1). Results of examination of 485 female specimens for maturity stages over a period of two year are pooled for one year is presented in (Table 2). Mature females (stage IV and V) were recorded in all the months except August where stage IV was absent, it may be due to trawl ban of 67 days from 10 th June to 15 th August in Ratnagiri coast of India and sampling was carried out in the last week of August. Maximum percentage of mature and ripe females (stages IV, V and VI) was observed in the February to April and August to October, indicating two peaks (spawn twice in a year). The spent females were found to be maximum Fig. 3- Logistic curve depicting length at first maturity (L m ) in J. sina Stage I and stage II revealed only one batch of immature ova with mode a at mm. In stage III, the ova diameter increased up to 0.5 mm with mode a at 0.29 mm and mode b at 0.38 mm (maturing ova). In stage IV, the diameter increased to about 0.53 mm with mode a at 0.2 mm (maturing ova) and mode b at 0.41 mm (mature ova) while in stage V, ova diameter reached up to 0.65 mm with mode a at 0.29 mm (maturing ova) and mode b at 0.47 mm (mature ova). In VI stage, the ova size increased up to 0.83 mm with mode a at 0.41 mm (mature ova), and mode b at 0.65 mm (mature ova). In stage VII ovary was

4 TARKESHWAR et al.: GONADAL MATURATION PROFILE AND FECUNDITY OF THE JOHNIEOPS SINA 1749 found to be shrunken, reduced in size, hollow, sack like, small immature eggs present along with a few large denatured ova. The ova diameter analysis indicated two batches of ova (maturing and mature), present throughout the year, which indicates that the spawning is prolonged with two Table 1- Classification of maturity stages in J. sina Stage of maturity I-Immature II-Early maturing III-Late maturing Extent and nature of ovary in body cavity and appearance of ova under microscope Ovaries small, pale in colour, occupied less than 1/3rd of body cavity in case of virgins. In recovering spent, it was broader occupying 2/3rd of the body cavity, ova transparent not visible to naked eye. Ova were little larger than 1st stage, transparent, blood capillaries are not distinct, pinkish in colour, ovary occupies 1/3 to 1/2 of the body cavity Ova larger than II stage, ovary pink to creamy yellow extends from ½ to 2/3 of the body cavity. peaks. The species having two spawning season in a year. Range of diameter of ova in mm Size of ova ranged from 0.04 mm to 0.27 mm, majority of ova measured were less than 0.1 mm. size of ova ranged from 0.28 to 0.38 mm. Ova visible to necked eye ranged from 0.39 to 0.5 mm, semi opaque and nucleus is partly hidden by yolk. IV-Early mature V-Late mature VI-Ripe VII-Spent Ova larger than III stage, ova spherical, nucleus is not visible, yellowish in colour, blood vessels appear to be visible on the dorsal side and it extends 2/3 of the body cavity. Ova larger than III stage, blood vessels clearly visible, ovary reddish yellow in colour and occupied more than 3/4th of the body cavity. Ovary fully enlarged, filling entire body cavity, creamish in colour with conspicuous blood vessels. Large ova are extruded from the vent under slight pressure, Ovary shrunken, reduced in size, hollow, sack like, small immature eggs present along with a few large denatured ova. Ova completely filled with yolk, size of ova ranged from 0.51 to 0.61mm. Large ova was extruded from the vent under slight pressure, size of ova ranged from 0.52 to 0.71 mm. ova size ranged from 0.72 to 0.83 mm. Table 2- Month-wise percentage distribution of maturity stages (female) in J. sina Months No. of fishes Maturity Stages examined I II III IV V VI VII January February March April May June* July* August September October November December Total 485 *No catch during the month of June and July Month-wise GSI values obtained on examination of 546 male and 485 female collected during December 2009 to November 2011 and pooled for one year are presented in Fig. 5. The prominent peaks in GSI were observed in January (0.99), March (1.11) and October (0.88) for male and March (3.71), April (3.71) and October (3.75) for female. The GSI values also indicate that the spawning is prolonged with two peaks, the first peak in September-November and the second in

5 1750 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL 43 NO. 9 SEPTEMBER 2014 February-April. In male minimum GSI was observed during the month of August (0.26) while in female during December (1.21). Higher values of hepato-somatic index (HSI) were estimated during September to December for both sexes while lowest values were recorded during May and August. Higher values of HSI were recorded after spawning season for both sexes (Fig. 6). The absolute fecundity estimated from mature 22 females, ranging between 137 to 232 mm in length and between and g in weight. The absolute fecundity was found to vary from 24,800 to 126,880 eggs (average: 83313) from the ovary weighing between 1.28 to 5.2 g. *No catch during the month of June and July Fig. 5- Month-wise Gonado-somatic index (mean± S.E.) in J. sina Fig. 4- Ova diameter frequency (mean± S.E.) of J. sina *Maturity stages I-VI and a, b indicates bathes of ova in the ovary *No catch during the month of June and July Fig. 6- Month-wise Hepato-somatic index (mean± S.E.) in J. sina The relative fecundity ranged from 593 to 2354 (average: 1255) ova/g of body weight (Table 4). Linear relationship between fecundity and total length (Fig. 7 a, b) of fish has been established as: F = L (R = ) Linear relationship between fecundity and total weight (Fig. 8 a, b) of fish has been established as: F= W (R = ) Linear relationship between fecundity and ovary weight (Fig. 9 a, b) of fish has been established as: F = OW (R = ) Better correlation was observed between fecundity and ovary weight in comparison to total length and total weight of fish. Monthly data on sex ratio recorded from December 2009 to November 2011 were tested against 1:1 using Chi-square test for (n-2) degrees of freedom at 5% level of significance. Month-wise sex ratio of male to female varied from 1:0.49 in September to 1:1.50 in April. Analysis indicated marginal dominance of males over females except September (1:0.49) where significant predominance of male was observed at 5% level of significant (Table 5).

6 TARKESHWAR et al.: GONADAL MATURATION PROFILE AND FECUNDITY OF THE JOHNIEOPS SINA 1751 Table 3- Length-wise percentage distribution of maturity stages (females) in J. sina Length group No. of fishes Maturity Stages (mm) examined I II III IV V VI VII Total 485 Table 4 - Estimated Fecundity of J. sina Sl. No. Total length (mm) Total weight (g) Ovary weight (g) Absolute fecundity (eggs) Relative fecundity w.r.t. body weight (eggs) Discussion Many studies have been performed on morphological changes of ovary in fishes 28. Indices like colour, size of the egg, and degree of occupation of body cavity in teleost fishes were used to classify stages. Maturity cycles of ovary in fishes are normally divided between 5 and 7 stages in female During the present study, seven maturity stages were recorded for J. sina. Bhusari 12 reported IV and VI stage of maturity from October

7 1752 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL 43 NO. 9 SEPTEMBER 2014 Fig. 7a- Relationship between fecundity and total length in J. sina Fig. 7b- Logarithmic relationship between fecundity and total length in J. sina Fig. 8a- Relationship between fecundity and total weight of J. sina Fig. 8b- Logarithmic relationship between fecundity and total weight in J. sina Fig. 9a- Relationship between fecundity and ovary weight of J. sina Fig. 9b- Logarithmic relationship between fecundity and ovary weight in J. sina to May and spent (stage-vii) from October to July from Ratnagiri and concluded that J. sina spawns more than once in a year. Nair 13 reported mature and ripe females during most of the months with the occurrence of ripe specimen in the fishery in greater proportion during November-February and May. The prolonged spawning was also evidenced by continuous recruitment of juveniles. Dukhande 33 reported advance stage of maturity during August to April and spent mostly during February. He also concluded that the J. sina has prolonged breeding season and protracted spawning. Jayasankar 34 reported spawning season from March to October with peak spawning in March, August and September. Chakraborty et al. 35 observed spawning during January-April and September-October off Cochin. Mohanraj et al. 36 reported prolonged spawning period from Calicut extending from February to November with peak during September-November and May. Telvekar 15 observed, ripe specimens during January-April and August-September while spent specimens during February to June. Manojkumar 16 reported the species to be continuous breeder with two peaks during September-November and February-April. In the present investigation, dominance of mature and ripe females throughout the study period indicates that the species is a multiple spawner and breeds throughout the year. However, it exhibits two peaks, one during February-April and Second during August-October, which is also supported by occurrence of the high gonado-somatic Index during same period. Similar spawning period was observed by Telvekar 15 and Manojkumar 16 from Mumbai and Malabar coasts, respectively. During present study, the length at first maturity (L 50 ) for female of J. sina was estimated as 131 mm. Bhusari 12 found length at maturity as 125 mm. Nair 13 estimated the average minimum size at first maturity as 115 mm, whereas, Dukhande 33 reported 120 mm. Jayasankar 34 observed the size at first maturity as 152 mm while Chakraborty et al. 35 estimated as 115 mm. Telvekar mm and Manojkumar mm. Length at the first

8 TARKESHWAR et al.: GONADAL MATURATION PROFILE AND FECUNDITY OF THE JOHNIEOPS SINA 1753 maturity estimated in the present study was close to Bhusari 12 and Manojkumar 16. Variations in the size of maturity recorded by different workers from different localities might be due to difference in sampling procedure and high fishing pressure (Table 6). However, the size and age at first maturity depends on the nature of the environment in which the population of concern lives 2. Table 5- Month-wise estimated sex ratio for male and female in J. sina Months Total No of male No of female % of male % of female expected sex ratio (M:F) chi square value January : February : March : April : May : June* July* August : September : October : November : December : Total : *No catch during the month of June and July significant Table 6- Length at first maturity (L 50 ) of J. sina (female) reported by other investigators Author Year Location Sample Length at first Methodology used size maturity (mm) Bhusari Ratnagiri Length at which 50 % of individuals are mature Nair Calicut Length at which 50 % of individuals are mature Dukhande Bombay Length at which 50 % of individuals are mature Length at which 50 % of individuals are mature Jayasankar Mandapam coast Chakraborty et al Cochin Length at which 50 % of individuals are mature Telvekar Mumbai Length at which 50 % of individuals are mature Manojkumar Malabar coast Length at which 50 % of individuals are mature Present study 2012 Ratnagiri Length at which 50% of individuals are mature using a Logistic equation Walford 36 stated that in a fish, which spawns only once a season, their mature ovaries contain only two type of ova, immature and mature. Prabhu 21 stated that there would be another batch of eggs where yolk formation has already taken place in their ovaries in addition to the batch of eggs in ripe condition. He also stated that if the maturing eggs have already differentiated from the general stock of eggs, there is a possibility that the interval between the two spawning periods may not be long. In the present investigation ova diameter analysis indicated two batches of ova (maturing and mature), present throughout the year, indicating prolonged spawning with two peaks. Results of present study are similar to the findings of Bhusari 12 who reported multiple modes in the ova diameter frequency curve indicating several batches of eggs in all stage of maturity. Nair 13 based of ova diameter frequency observed that J. sina belong to the type in which the spawning is prolonged, different batches of eggs are not sharply differentiated from one another thereby indicating that the passing of one batch of eggs into the next stage is a continuous process. Dukhande 33 also confirmed prolong spawning on J. sina and reported peak spawning in February because of presence of active spawners and spent fishes during that month. Jayasankar 34 and Telvekar 15 observed two spawning seasons for the species and also state that difference between the two spawning seasons may not be very long.

9 1754 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL 43 NO. 9 SEPTEMBER 2014 The rapid increase in GSI may be because of the accumulation of yolk, the nutritional reserve for the embryo, by the oocytes 37. Females invest more energy for reproduction compared to males 38 also explains for the higher GSI values in females compared to males recorded in this study. Highest GSI values were observed during February to April and second in September to November which clearly suggests two breeding peaks of the species, Telvekar 15 reported two prominent peaks in gonado-somatic index in February and August and concluded two spawning periods for this species; one during February to April and second during august to October. Hepato-somatic index (HSI) of fishes can give a picture about the capacity of fishes to store fatty substances. Therefore, HSI changes according to the variations in the feeding habits and reproductive behaviour 39. In the present work HSI values increased from September to December for both sexes while lowest values were recorded during May and August for both sexes. Both sexes of J. sina showed the similar correlation with GSI and HSI before and after breeding season. Similar result has been found by Alaa et al. 40 in Etrumeus teres from the Egyptian Mediterranean water at Alexandriaor. For most teleosts the liver is the place of yolk (vitellogenin) synthesis during the exogenous vitellogenesis. Hence, the liver might enlarge (more than males) during the female reproductive season as a response to vitellogenin needs 41. However, the relationship between liver and ovary weight is not always as strong and positive as could be expected 42. HSI is also an indicator of recent feeding activity 43. Brown 44 mentioned that the accumulation and storage of fat and protein take place in the liver prior to the spawning in many fishes. Roberts 45 showed that females HSI increase may be due to the increase in the hormones of the sexual activities. He also mentioned that the feeding activity increases after spawning to increase lipids, proteins and water contents of the liver to meet the requirements of yolk deposition in the developing oocytes for the next season. Ellis et al. 46 declared that the enlargement of the liver resulted from the physiological changes occurred during the prespawning period. During the present study, the absolute fecundity varied from 24,800 to 1, 26,880 eggs for the specimens ranging from 137 mm to 216 mm in total length and g to g in total weight, whereas, Bhusari 12 reported fecundity in the range of 32,174 to 60,840 eggs in the fishes with the weight of ovary ranging from 2.5 to 9.42g. He also observed fishes of same length having varied fecundity and the reason he assigned was prolonged spawning period in the species. Nair 13 reported fecundity in the range of 12,744 to 1, 51,697 eggs from the fishes of 124 to 174 mm in total length, and high correlation between fecundity and ovary weight. Dukhande 33 reported in range of 18, 837 to 1, 30,109 eggs. Telvekar 15 reported 28,495 to 1,35,346 eggs for the specimens ranging from 148 mm to 206 mm in total length and 45 g to 105 g in total weight. Manojkumar 16 reported it in the range of 9,253 to 50,925 eggs and concluded that the fecundity of individual fish of the same length varied considerably but it generally increased with the increase in size of the fish (Table 7). In the present study, the statistical analysis of month-wise sex ratio indicates marginal dominance of males over females except September, where significant predominance of males was observed at 5 % level (Table 8). Table 7- Absolute fecundity of J. sina reported by different investigators Author Year Location Absolute Fecundity (eggs) Bhusari 1975 Ratnagiri 32,174 to 60,840 Nair 1977 Calicut 12,744 to 1, 51,697 Dukhande 1991 Bombay 18, 837 to 1, 30,109 Telvekar 2006 Mumbai 28,495 to 1,35,346 Manojkumar 2011 Malabar coast 9,253 to 50,925 Present study 2012 Ratnagiri 24,800 to 1, 26,880 Table 8: Sex ratio of J. sina (female) reported by different investigators Author Year Location Sample size Sex ratio (male: female) Bhusari 1975 Ratnagiri 600 Female dominance Nair 1977 Calicut :1.00 Dukhande 1991 Bombay :1.00 Jayasankar 1994 Mandapam :0.70 coast Telvekar 2006 Mumbai :1.60 Manojkumar 2011 Malabar :0.96 Present study coast 2012 Ratnagiri :0.89

10 TARKESHWAR et al.: GONADAL MATURATION PROFILE AND FECUNDITY OF THE JOHNIEOPS SINA 1755 Nair 13 and Dukhande 33 reported almost equal distribution of both sexes during most of the month. Whereas Bhusari 12, Jayasankar 34 and Telvekar 15 observed predominance of females in commercial catches throughout the year. Manojkumar 16 also reported dominance of male in the fishery. In nature male and female sex ratio is expected to be 1:1. Any deviation from this ratio may indicate the dominance of one sex over the other. This happens because of differential behaviour of sexes, environmental conditions, fishing, etc. 47 Acknowledgement Authors are thankful to Dr. W. S. Lakra, Director, CIFE, Mumbai and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR, New Delhi) for providing necessary facilities for carrying out the research work. References 1. King M, Fisheries Biology, Assessment and Management. Fishing News Books, Oxford. 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