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Growth and mortality of two small fishes, T oxabramis swinhonis Günther, 1873 and H yporhamphus intermedius (Cantor, 1842), in a Yangtze shallow lake ( C hina) assessed by length frequency analysis
Author(s) -
Ye S.,
Moreau J.,
Zeng W.,
Zhang T.,
Liu J.,
Li Z.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of applied ichthyology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.392
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1439-0426
pISSN - 0175-8659
DOI - 10.1111/jai.12405
Subject(s) - biology , yangtze river , fishing , cyprinidae , china , stock assessment , fishery , population , ecology , fish <actinopterygii> , demography , geography , archaeology , sociology
Summary This study examined the growth and mortality of two widespread small fish species, T oxabramis swinhonis (Cyprinidae) and H yporhamphus intermedius (Hemiramphidae), from a shallow lake (Niushan Lake, China) along the Yangtze River, by analyzing monthly length frequency data (July 2005 to June 2006) with the FAO ‐ ICLARM stock assessment tool (Fi SAT ). Estimated von Bertalanffy growth equation parameters were: L ∞ (asymptotic length) = 145 mm TL , and K (growth coefficient) = 0.66 year −1 for T . swinhonis ; L ∞ = 189 mm TL , and K = 0.68 year −1 for H . intermedius . The instantaneous rates of natural mortality ( M ) calculated for T . swinhonis and H . intermedius were 1.35 and 1.28 year −1 , respectively. The length‐converted catch curve method gave the total annual instantaneous mortality rate ( Z ) of 2.92 year −1 for T . swinhonis and 1.53 year −1 for H . intermedius . Recruitment patterns of both species were continuous, displaying a single major peak event per year. Despite not being of direct fishing interest, T . swinhonis , with high abundance and productivity as indicated by a high Z ‐value, can be an important species in fisheries management as an excellent food source for aquatic organisms, especially for larger fishes of economic value. These results represent the first information on population characteristics of T . swinhonis and H . intermedius , and constitute a comparison base for future growth studies in other lake environments.