Maturity and spawning of the snapper, Lutianus kasmira (Forskal) from the Andaman sea

Abstract

Lutianus kasmira of the Andaman Sea spawns only once in a year but the spawning period is likely to be spread over a period of four or five months from November to March. The occurrence of mature fish over a prolonged period and high gonadosomatic index during a number of months lend additional evidence for the prolonged spawning season of the fish. The minimum size at first maturity was about 170 mm and fifty per cent maturity was attained when the fish grew to a length of 200 mm. Fecundity was found to fluctuate very widely from 42,100 to 332,620. The sexes were found to be disproportionate in the catches, the males outnumbering the females, which suggests that differential fishing could occur in Lutianus kasmira.