Sains Malaysiana 41(6)(2012): 671–678

Conditions- and Form-Factor of the Five Threatened Fishes from the Jamuna

(Brahmaputra River Distributary) River, Northern Bangladesh

(Keadaan dan Faktor-Bentuk bagi Lima Spesies Ikan Terancam dari Sungai Jamuna

(Distributari bagi Sungai Brahmaputra), Bahagian Utara Bangladesh)

Md. Yeamin Hossain* & Jun Ohtomi

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

Md. Mosaddequr Rahman & 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 & Bernerd Fulanda

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

Elgorban M. Abdullah

Center for Excellence of Biotechnology Research, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Received: 9 September 2011/Accepted: 20 January 2012

ABSTRACT

The small indigenous species namely Ailiichthys punctata (Day 1871), Botia lohachata (Chaudhuri 1912), Chanda nama (Hamilton 1822), Laubuca laubuca (Hamilton 1822) and Mystus cavasius (Hamilton 1822) 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 (a3.0) 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 (KF) 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 (WR) was 53.14 for C. nama and 167.88 for A. punctata, respectively. However, the estimated relative weight (WR) 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 (a3.0) 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 KF, WR 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

ABSTRAK

Ailiichthys punctata (Day1871), Botia lohachata (Chaudhuri 1912), Chanda nama(Hamilton 1822), Laubuca laubuca (Hamilton 1822) dan Mystus cavasius (Hamilton 1822) merupakan spesies asli ikan kecil yang penting di Bangladesh. Namun, populasi semula jadi ikan-ikan ini semakin berkurang akibat daripada aktiviti penangkapan dan kemerosotan persekitaran. Oleh itu, data dan maklumat diperlukan untuk menghalang kemerosotan dan membolehkan inisiatif langkah-langkah pemuliharaan ikan-ikan ini di Sungai Jamuna. Kajian ini memperihalkan keaadan – (berat Fulton’s dan relatif) dan faktor-bentuk (a3.0) lima spesies ikan terancam daripada Sungai Jamuna, sebuah distributari daripada Sungai Brahmaputra di bahagian utara Bangladesh. Sejumlah 919 spesimen daripada lima spesies tergolong dalam lima famili yang digunakan dalam kajian ini telah ditangkap dengan menggunakan alat penangkapan trandisi dari bulan Mac 2010 hingga Februari 2011. Bagi setiap individu, jumlah (TL), cabangan (FL) dan piawai (SL) kepanjangan telah diukur menggunakan slaid angkup digital, dan berat badan (BW) setiap individu diukur menggunakan penimbang digital. Faktor keadaan Fulton’s (KF) menunjukkan variasi yang signifikan (p<0.01) antara spesies, dengan prestasi terbaik pada B. lohachata (1.49 ± 0.20) diikuti oleh C. nama (1.41 ± 0.19), M. cavasius (0.79 ± 0.14), L. laubuca (0.78 ± 0.09) dan A. punctata (0.71 ± 0.12). Berat relatif (WR) kiraan minimum dan maksimum adalah 53.14 bagi C. nama dan 167.88 bagi A. punctata masing-masing. Namun, berat relatif (WR) jangkaan mendekati 100 bagi semua populasi (p>0.05). Ini menunjukkan keseimbangan habitat dengan pemperolehan makanan relatif kepada kehadiran pemangsa. Faktor bentuk (a3.0) kiraan minimum dan maksimum adalah 0.0062 bagi A. punctata dan 0.0158 bagi B. lohachata masing-masing. Kajian ini merupakan kajian pertama untuk KF, WR dan a3.0 ke atas spesies ikan terancam tersebut di Bangladesh. Hasil kajian ini berguna bagi pengurusan mampan dan pemuliharaan stok terhad di dalam ekosistem Sungai Brahmaputra.

Kata kunci: Bangladesh; faktor bentuk; faktor keadaan; spesies terancam; Sungai Jamuna

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*Corresponding author; email: yeamin2222@yahoo.com