Length–weight relationship of clown knifefish Chitala chitala (Hamilton 1822) from the River Ganga basin, India

Abstract

This study describes the length–weight relationship (LWR) of the clown knifefish, Chitala chitala, in the River Ganga basin, India. A total of 221 specimens ranging from 31 to 120 cm total length (TL) and 550 to 12 000 g total weight (TW) were collected. Chitala chitala constitutes an important component of riverine fisheries of India and is considered one of the most commercially important and highly priced foods in addition to being an aquarium fish. The species has recently undergone heavy fishing pressure, leading to an alarming decline in natural populations and deserving of high conservation importance. Length–weight relationships of C. chitala from wild populations had not yet been studied. Hence, the study objective was to evaluate length–weight relations of C. chitala from eleven populations in order to help in conservation and management of the riverine population.