Length–Weight Relationships and Relative Condition Factor of Six Commercially Important Clupeoid Species (Teleostei: Clupeiformes) from Andaman Waters

Abstract

We collected fishes from the coastal artisanal fishers of the south Andaman Islands between November 2021 to October 2022. In this study, we examined 2776 clupeoid specimens, which includes Herklotsichthys quadrimaculatus (1110), Sardinella fimbriata (459), Amblygaster sirm (185), Anodontostoma chacunda (351), Dussumieria acuta (231) and Stolephorus indicus (440). The sex ratio was ideal except for S. indicus, which showed male dominance. The length–weight relationship was established using linear regression analysis (W = a × TL^b) and the relative condition factor was expressed as Kn = W/(a*TL^b). In this study, we got high coefficient of determination values for all species (r² ≥ 0.90). The slope values (b) of the linear regressions in the pooled data set varied among species from 2.907 to 3.529. The K_n values were within the range 1.004 to 1.005, and this range was not significantly varied (p > 0.05) from the ideal threshold value of 1. This study addresses the data deficiency on clupeoid fisheries in the region to establish a foundation of baseline knowledge.