Growth, mortality and stock assessment of brushtooth lizard fish Saurida undosquamis (Richarson, 1848) from Mumbai waters, north west coast of India

Abstract

Stock characteristic viz. growth, mortality, and exploitation rate of Saurida undosquamis from Mumbai waters were studie based on commercial trawl landings during the period 2012-2015. Growth parameters (L, K, and t0) were estimated at 365mm, 0.75 yr1 and 0.00092 yr, respectively. Mortality parameters (Z,M, and F) were estimated at 4.70 yr1, 1.47 yr 1 and 3.23 yr1 respectively. The longevity (tmax) was also estimated at 3.99 yr. The length at 1st capture (Lc50+ 159.25 mm) was found to be lower than length at first maturity (Lm50 = 206 mm). The current exploitation rate (Ecur = 0.69) clearly indicated that the species being overexploited. The bio-economic stock assessment model showed that at the present fishing level, there is depletion in the spawning stock biomass and also lower economic revenue from the fishery. Hence, reducing the effort would help to maintain the fishery at a sustainable level.