Biological aspects of Barbonymus gonionotus (Bleeker, 1849) in the Padma River, Bangladesh

Abstract

The present study describe the biological aspects of Barbonymus gonionotus including- sex ratio, ovarian maturity, spawning season and fecundity from the Padma River, Bangladesh. Sampling was done, using traditional fishing gears i.e., cast net, square lift net and gill net during January 2011 to December 2012. For each individual total length was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm using digital slide calipers and whole body weight and gonadal weight were taken using an electronic balance with 0.01 g accuracy. A total of 1440 specimens of B. gonionotus were collected, of which 634 were males and 806 were females and sex ratio was recorded as 1:1.27. The number of females was higher than that of males. During the study a total 5 gonadal stages were examined for both males and females. Spawning season ranged from April to July and peak spawning season was June for B. gonionotus in the Padma River. The fecundity of B. gonionotus varied from 13192 to 98325 with a mean value of 58660 ± 29288. The results of this study would be very beneficial for fishery biologists and may effective for sustainable management and conservation of this fish species in the Padma River of Bangladesh and surrounding ecosystems.