Fishery and reproductive biology of the spotted sardinella Amblygaster sirm (Walbaum, 1972) exploited along the southern coast of India

Abstract

The study focused on the fishery and biological aspects of the spotted sardinellaAmblygaster sirm (Walbaum, 1972) exploited along the southern coast of India from 2015to 2020. The summary of the fishery reveals noticeable annual fluctuations in landing, withpeak landings reported from November to March along the coast. The study included fishwith total length (TL) ranging from 149 to 208 mm in males and 152 to 217 mm in females.The peak in gonadosomatic Index (GSI) in January indicates its spawning season, and Lm50was estimated at 172 mm TL in females. The sex ratio (F: M) was determined at 1:1.2, withmales dominating most months. Fecundity ranged from 11632 to 43200 eggs per spawning.Five stages of maturity in A. sirm were identified through external analysis of gonads. Sevenhistological ovarian stages of A.sirm were recorded, providing a primary reference forfuture studies. These findings aim to assist fishery managers and policymakers in adoptingeffective management practices for the sustainable harvesting of this resource.   Keywords:Amblygaster sirm, Gonadosomatic index, Sex ratio,Fecundity, Lm50, Histology