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Conditions- and Form-factor of the Five Threatened Fishes from the Jamuna (brahmaputra River Distributary) River, Northern Bangladesh

Md. Yeamin Hossain
Department of Fisheries Faculty of Agriculture, University of Rajshahi Rajshahi 6205 Bangladesh

Jun Ohtomi
Faculty of Fisheries Kagoshima University 4-50-20 Shimoarata Kagoshima 890-0056 Japan

Md. Mosaddequr Rahman
Department of Fisheries Faculty of Agriculture University of Rajshahi Rajshahi 6205 Bangladesh

Md. Abu Sayed Jewel
Department of Fisheries Faculty of Agriculture University of Rajshahi Rajshahi 6205 Bangladesh

Zoarder Faruque Ahmed
Department of Fisheries Management Faculty of Fisheries Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202 Bangladesh

Ferdous Ahamed
The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University, Korimoto 1-21-24, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan

Bernerd Fulanda
The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University, Korimoto 1-21-24, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan

E lgorban M. Abdallah
Center for Excellence of Biotechnology Research King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The small indigenous species namely Ailiichthys punctata, Botia lohachata, Chanda nama, Laubuca laubuca and Mystus cavasius comprise an important component of riverine fisheries of Bangladesh. But the natural populations are decreasing fast due to high fishing pressure as well as environmental degradation. Therefore, data and information is needed to avert the alarming decline and initiate conservation measures for these important fishes of the Jamuna River. This study describes the condition- (Fulton’s and Relative weight) and form-factor (a_3.0) of the five threatened fishes from the Jamuna River, a distributary of the Brahmaputra River in northern Bangladesh. A total of 919 specimens from five species in five families used for this study were caught by traditional fishing gear during March 2010 through February 2011. For each individual, the total (TL), fork (FL) and standard (SL) length were measured by digital slide calipers while individual body weight (BW) was measured using a digital balance. The Fulton’s condition factor (K_F) showed significant variations (p<0.01) among species, with best performance by B. lohachata (1.49±0.20) followed by C. nama (1.41±0.19), M. cavasius (0.79±0.14), L. laubuca (0.78±0.09) and A. punctata (0.71±0.12). The calculated minimum and maximum relative weight (W_R) was 53.14 for C. nama and 167.88 for A. punctata, respectively. However, the estimated relative weight (W_R) was close to 100 for all populations (p>0.05) indicating a balanced habitat with food availability relative to the presence of predators. The calculated minimum and maximum form factor (a_3.0) was 0.0062 for A. punctata and 0.0158 for B. lohachata, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this study presents the first reference on K_F, W_R and a3.0 factors for these threatened species in Bangladesh. The results would be useful for sustainable management and conservation of the limited stocks in the Brahmaputra River ecosystem.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Condition factor; Form factor; Jamuna River; Threatened species

Location: Bogra district, Bangladesh.

Start Date: 00-03-2010

End Date: 00-02-2011

Program Area: Animal Health and Management

Commodity: Aquatic animal

Objectives:

To present the conditions and form factor of A. punctata, B. lohachata, C. nama, L. laubuca, and M. cavasius threatened fish populations from the Jamuna River, the main distributary of the Brahmaputra River in northern Bangladesh using morphometric data collected over a one year period.

Methodology:

STUDY AREA: This study was conducted in the Jamuna River (Sariakandi, Bogra region: Latitude 24° 88’ N; Longitude 89° 57’ E) of Bangladesh. The Jamuna is the main distributary of the Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh and is one of the world’s largest rivers, ranked among the top three rivers in terms of sediment and water discharge volumes. The high water and sediment discharge are attributed to the monsoon flooding and tectonic setting which supplies profuse sediment from the Himalayan uplift into the subsiding Bay of Bengal. A large number of commercially important species in this river are targeted by both small and large scale fishermen throughout the year. The river is also believed to be an important spawning and feeding ground for many riverine fish species of Bangladesh. SAMPLING AND LABORATORY ANALYSIS: Samples were collected on a seasonal basis from commercial catches landed at the Sariakandi fish landing center of Bogra region during March 2010 to February 2011. The main gears used by the commercial fishers include traditional fishing gears including jhaki jal (cast net), tar jal (square lift net), and dughair (conical trap). The fresh samples were immediately chilled in ice on site and fixed with 10% buffered formalin upon arrival in the laboratory. All morphometric measurements were contacted. The fixed specimens were individually measured, and weighed. Total length (TL) was measured to the nearest 0.01 cm using digital slide calipers (Mitutoyo, CD-15PS), and total body weight (BW) was measured using an electronic balance (Shimadzu, EB-430DW) with 0.01 g accuracy. CONDITION FACTORS: Fulton’s condition factor (K_F) was calculated using the equation: K_F =100× (W/L³), where W is the total body weight (BW, g) and L is the total length (TL, cm). The scaling factor of 100 was used to bring the K_F close to unit. Additionally, relative weight (W_R) was calculated by the equation as W_R = (W / W_S) × 100, where W is the weight of a particular individual and W_Sis the predicted standard weight for the same individual as calculated by W_S = a L^b where the a and b values are obtained from the length-weight relationships (LWRs) between TL and BW: A. punctata, a = 0.010, b = 2.81; B. lohachata, a = 0.0190, b = 2.85; C. nama, a = 0.0195, b = 2.79; L. laubuca, a = 0.0037, b = 3.31; M. cavasius, a = 0.0053, b = 3.21). FORM FACTOR: The form factor (a3.0) for each species was calculated using the equation as: (a_3.0 = 10^{log a – s (b-3)}, where a and b are regression parameters of the length-weight relationships (LWRs) and S is the regression slope of log a vs. b. During this study, a mean slope S = -1.358 was used for estimating the form factor because information on LWRs is not available for these species for estimation of the regression (S) of ln a vs. b. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Statistical analyses were performed using Microsoft® Excel-add-in-DDXL, GraphPad Prism 5 and VassarStats online software (http://faculty.vassar.edu/lowry/VassarStats.html). Tests for normality of each group were conducted by visual assessment of histograms and box plots, and confirmed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.

Source of Information: Sains Malaysiana 41(6)(2012): 671–678

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

This study provides an important baseline study on condition- and form-factors of five threatened fishes from Bangladesh. The results of the study would be an effective tool for fishery biologists, managers and conservationists to initiate early management strategies and regulations for the sustainable conservation of the remaining stocks of these endangered species in the Brahmaputra River ecosystem. Moreover, information on condition factors, and form factor for these five species are clearing lacking from literature and data bases including FishBase. Therefore, the results of this study provide invaluable information for the online FishBase database, as well as providing an important baseline for future studies within the Brahmaputra River and surrounding ecosystems such as the Ganges.

Knowledge Management: Journal