Stock-specific assessment of precise age and growth in the long-whiskered catfish Sperata aor from the Ganges River

Abstract

Sustainable management of the long-whiskered catfish Sperata aor (Hamilton, 1822) in the Ganges River justifies precise stock-specific information on age and growth. The aim of the present study was to estimate the age and growth of three stocks, namely Narora–Kanpur, Varanasi and Bhagalpur, of S. aor from the Ganges River. Among the hard structures chosen for analysis, vertebrae provided precise age estimates up to 9 years of age in all the three stocks of S. aor based on average percentage error. Edge analysis of vertebrae and marginal increment ratio analysis of sectioned otoliths showed annulus formation once per year during April–June. The von Bertalanffy growth rates showed significant differences between the sexes and among the stocks. The growth coefficient k (0.24–0.30 year–1) showed rapid growth relative to asymptotic length (L∞) in all three stocks. The growth performance index was nearly the same for all three stocks. The results of the present study can be used in formulating scientifically sound management policies in view of anthropogenic threats to the populations of S. aor from the Ganges River.

Comparative analysis of morphometrics of fish species from river Ganga and Gomti of Uttar Pradesh (India)

“…The length weight relationship of Mystua aor from both the river Gomti and Ganga were determined and the findings correlated with results of previous study [27] . The different studies recorded the morphometric dimensions of fish Mystua aor from river Ganga [18,23] . On the basis of fish morphometry, the identification of fish populations and the relationships amongst their specimens are extensive facts for their sustainable growth, management, protection and conservation [3,5] .…”

Growth of the Mesopelagic Fish Vinciguerria attenuata (Cocco, 1838) in the Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea)

“…Although a validation of microincrement deposition has not yet been performed in lightfishes, these data represent the first baseline for the future estimation of age and mortality rate in a Mediterranean population of V. attenuata. The description of life history traits has a key role in understanding the productivity and dynamics of fish populations [65] and in generating information useful to lay the basis of sustainable use of fish resources [66]. Thus, this study contributes to filling the information gap on some aspects of the biology of V. attenuata, producing data useful to assess the status of this fish resource.…”

Otoliths morphology and age-record in Bagre panamensis (Siluriformes: Ariidae) inhabiting at the southeast of Gulf of California

“…Whence, the age can be underestimated from whole otoliths, compared to the sectioned otoliths (Panfili et al 2002, Easey & Millner 2008, Volpedo & Vaz-dos-Santos 2015. For the freshwater catfish Sperata aor (Hamilton, 1822), growth rings of whole lapilli otoliths are unclear in the otolith edge due to the curvature in older individuals causing underestimating age (Khan et al 2016), and its cross-sectioned otoliths had more distinguishable growth rings than whole otoliths (Nazir & Khan 2020). Also, for the sparid fish Argyrozona argyrozona (Valenciennes, 1830), the number of growth rings number is underestimated when using whole sagittae otoliths of fish older than ten years old concerning counts made from cross-sectioned otoliths (Brouwer & Griffiths 2004).…”