APPLYING SINGLE VERSUS MULTIPLE METHODS FOR DELINEATION OF FISH STOCKS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MORPHOLOGICAL TOOLS

: Stock identification methods have been developed with the progression of technology but this sometimes brings problems rather than the solution since the advancement in methods is not unidirectional but diffused. As of now, every method has pros and cons. The choice of the best method of population/stock discrimination is a critical issue depends on the frame of the study and the desired objectives to be fulfilled. The best method(s) would be the one which is rapid, reliable, low cost and easily applicable. In this article, the focus is given to morphological approaches. Since long, body morphology, as an efficient tool, has been used to delineate fish stocks, which contributes to the conservation management of important fauna. In stock or population delineation studies of fishes, landmark-based quantitative shape analysis of the organism body have a valuable role to play and complementing other existing approaches. Nevertheless, there is no single best method which can be applied to all or any species for their identification/delineation. The best method varies from species to species as does the requirement to one or more methods and even employing more than one discipline. Fish, Geometric morphometrics, Morphological techniques, Quantitative assessment.