
==== Front
Heliyon
Heliyon
Heliyon
2405-8440
Elsevier

S2405-8440(24)12154-8
10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36123
e36123
Research Article
Some biological aspects of chacunda gizzard shad, Anodontostoma chacunda (Hamilton, 1822) from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh
Hasan Md Rabiul
Mawa Zannatul
Hossain Md Yeamin yeamin2222@yahoo.com
hossainyeamin@gmail.com
⁎
Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Fisheries, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh
⁎ Corresponding author. yeamin2222@yahoo.comhossainyeamin@gmail.com
10 8 2024
30 8 2024
10 8 2024
10 16 e361238 11 2023
4 8 2024
9 8 2024
© 2024 The Authors
2024
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
Anodontostoma chacunda is a commercial fish species in the market and is usually consumed in fresh, smoked, and dried forms. This study investigated the population structure, length-weight relationships (LWR), condition factor (KF), size at sexual maturity (Lm), and breeding season of A. chacunda in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, using the data collected from January to December 2020. A total of 1061 individuals were collected in the sampling period with the help of fishers. Total length (TL) and body weight (BW) were measured using a measuring board and an electronic balance. The TL ranged from 12.50 to 26.70 cm. The allometric coefficient (b) value was 3.34, indicating positive allometric growth in this species. The fish is in good condition, evidenced by its condition factor (KF) ranging between 0.88 and 1.73. Maturity size ranged from 15.40 to 16.80 cm (TL) based on three distinguished models. Spawning time lasts from January to May and from September to December. The peak spawning time was December of A. chacunda in the Bay of Bengal. This information could prove valuable for fisheries researchers and biologists, facilitating efforts toward the conservation and sustainable management of this species.

Keywords

A. chacunda
Bay of Bengal
Condition
Population structure
Size at sexual maturity
Spawning period
==== Body
pmc1 Introduction

Marine territories are a crucial aquatic ecosystem, covering 70 % of the Earth's surface, 97 % of its water, and 90 % of its habitable area. This ecosystem includes near-shore environments such as intertidal rock systems, coral reefs, mudflats, mangroves, and salt marshes [1]. The Bay of Bengal is one of the most significant and expansive marine ecosystems surrounded by Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It stands as the largest bay in the world, characterized by notable spatial and temporal variations due to its tropical monsoon location and the influence of perennial river flows [2]. Bangladesh boasts an elongated coastline spanning 710 km and an Exclusive Economic Zone covering 121,110 km2, representing a unique habitat rich in ecological and economic potential [3]. The coastal fauna of Bangladesh comprises 435 species of animals, 42 species of rodents, 35 species of reptiles, and 8 species of amphibians.

Anodontostoma chacunda, commonly known as Chacunda Gizzard Shad, is a significant species found predominantly along the Indian coast. It is also referred to regionally as chacunda, koi, puti, or cakunda. This species is characterized by a toothless mouth and a stomach resembling a gizzard [4]. Its diet typically includes diatoms, radiolarians, mollusks, copepods, and crustaceans [5]. A. chacunda is classified as least concern globally [6].

The length-weight relationship (LWR) is crucial in stock assessment and population dynamics, as it quantifies the relationship between length and weight for a given species [7]. LWRs are valuable indicators for measuring individual well-being and detecting probable variances among various populations of the same species [8]. Condition factors are critical for assessing the health of fish, influencing their growth, reproduction, and survival, and are essential predictors of future population success [9]. Determining size at sexual maturity is essential for effectively managing threatened fish populations, as it provides crucial insights into the timing of maturity in the species' life cycle [10].

Therefore, some work has been carried out on this species summarized in Table 1, but this is the first study which focus on three biological accepts (Growth pattern, condition and reproduction) at a time for A. chacunda. This research aim is to evaluate the growth, health status, and reproductive biology of A. chacunda from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh.Table 1 Available works on Anodontostoma chacunda from different waterbodies.

Table 1Aspects	Water body/Country	Reference	
Biological studies	Godavari estuary	[20]	
Length-weight relationship	New Caledonia	[19]	
Sungai Pulai estuary	[24]	
Indus delta, northern Arabian Sea	[21]	
Mumbai coast	[18]	
Bangladesh	[22]	
Mersing coastal waters	[23]	
Breeding season	Mangalore coast	[4]	

2 Materials and methods

2.1 Sampling and measurement

In this study, samples were collected from the Bay of Bengal from January to December 2020 (Fig. 1) with the help of fishers. Each month, 10 to 11 fishers conducted nighttime sampling using a seine net with a mesh size of 1.5–3.0 cm. After sampling, the fish were subjected to sex identification and body measurement. Sex (male/female) was identified by morphometric characteristics (shape and size of body and head, genital papilla structure, fins) and inspected by gonad. For total length (TL) and Body weight (BW) measurement, a measuring board (0.1 cm) and electronic balance (0.01 g) were used.Fig. 1 The map shows the sampling sites (indicated by rectangle shapes).

Fig. 1

2.2 Population structure

Length frequency distribution (LFD) was used to estimate population structure. TL data set were arranged considering 1 cm intervals to observe the LFDs of A. chacunda.

2.3 Growth pattern

Growth pattern assessed through W = a × Lb [11]. Confidence limits (95 %) of a and b and co-efficient of determination (r2) were estimated in this study. From the regression analyses extreme outliers were omitted [12].

2.4 Condition factor (KF)

Fulton condition factor was calculated by (KF): KF = 100 × (W/L3) [13]. To get the KF closer to the unit, a scaling factor of 100 was utilized.

2.5 Size at sexual maturity (Lm)

Sexual maturity size was calculated through three models: (i) Empirical model; log (Lm) = −0.1189 + 0.9157* log (Lmax) [14] (ii) TL vs. GSI model [15]; Gonado Somatic Index was estimated by GSI (%) = (GW/BW) × 100) [16] (iii) Logistic curve by PMI = 1/[1+ exp{-f (TLm -TL50)}] [17].

2.6 Spawning season

The spawning season and peak spawning were determined through monthly variation of the Gonado-Somatic Index (GSI) which was computed by the equation GSI (%) = (gonad weight/total body weight) * 100 [16].

2.7 Data and statistical analysis

Descriptive and regression analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel. Data normality and Spearman's rank test were conducted using R. Statistical significance was set at 5 % (p < 0.05).

3 Results

3.1 Population structure

The length frequency distribution of A. chacunda is shown in Fig. 2. A total of 1061 specimens were collected to accomplish this study. Total length (TL) ranged from 12.5 to 26.7 cm for A. chacunda. Most of the individuals were found between 21.0 and 23.0 cm.Fig. 2 Length-frequency distributions of Andontostoma chacunda from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh.

Fig. 2

3.2 Growth pattern

The LWR displayed BW = 0.0049(TL)3.34 (r2 = 0.950) for A. chacunda by the plotting of length against weight values (Fig. 3). For A. chacunda, we found a = 0.0049 and b = 3.34, indicating positive allometric growth in the Bay of Bengal (Table 2). Spearman's rank correlation rho showed that the p value is less than 0.05 (p < 2.2e^16) and the rho value is not equal to 0 (rho = 0.969) which indicated there was a strong correlation between TL and BW.Fig. 3 Relationship between total length (TL) and Body weight (BW) of the Andontostoma chacunda collected from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh.

Fig. 3

Table 2 Descriptive statistics and estimated parameters of length-weight relationship of Anodontostoma chacunda in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh.

Table 2Species	n	Total length (cm)	Body weight (g)	Regression parameters	95 % CL of a	95 % CL of b	r2	
		Min	Max	Min	Max	a	b				
Anodontostoma chacunda	1061	12.50	26.70	22.16	255.00	0.0049	3.34	0.0042–0.0056	3.29–3.39	0.950	

3.3 Condition factor (KF)

KF value for A. chacunda ranged from 0.87 to 2.02 (1.34 ± 0.15) in the Bay of Bengal and Spearman's correlation test indicated that KF had a significant correlation with BW (rho = 0.258; p < 2.2e^16). The monthly variation of KF showed all mean values greater than 1.0, indicating the fish were in good condition throughout the year (Fig. 4).Fig. 4 Monthly variations of Fulton's condition factor (KF) of Andontostoma chacunda collected from the Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh).

Fig. 4

3.4 Size at sexual maturity (Lm)

During the study, only female ovaries were examined for reproductive features due to their larger size and easier examination compared to male testes. The size at sexual maturity (Lm) of A. chacunda was calculated as 15.40 cm TL (95 % CI = 12.02–19.65 cm). Additionally, Lm was calculated based on the maximum length of fish from different water bodies (Table 3). The lowest and highest values of gonad weight of A. chacunda were 0.38 and 28.82 g. Based on TL vs. GSI, the GSI (>9.27 %) was around 16.30 cm in TL which rose sharply for the maximum of the female of A. chacunda (Fig. 5) and Based on the logistic curve, we observed that 50 % of individuals were matured at 16.80 cm in TL (Fig. 6). So, the Lm ranged from 15.40 to 16.80 cm (TL) of A. chacunda in the Bay of Bengal.Table 3 Calculated size at sexual maturity of Anodontostoma chacunda from the worldwide different waterbodies based on the maximum length.

Table 3Water body/Country	Max TL (cm)	Lm	95 % CL of Lm	References	
Godavari estuary	21.00	12.36	9.74–15.66	[20]	
New Caledonia	28.10*	16.13	12.57–20.63	[19]	
Sungai Pulai estuary	15.60	9.41	7.51–11.82	[24]	
Indus delta, northern Arabian Sea	19.90	11.76	9.29–14.88	[21]	
Mumbai coast	18.90	11.22	8.88–14.17	[18]	
Bangladesh	19.90	11.76	9.29–14.88	[22]	
Mangalore coast	14.10	8.58	6.87–10.74	[4]	
Mersing coastal waters	16.90	10.13	8.05–12.75	[23]	
Bay of Bengal	26.70	15.40	12.02–19.65	Current study	

Fig. 5 (i) Relationship between gonadosomatic index (GSI) vs. total length (TL) and (ii) total length (TL) vs. proportion of mature Andontostoma chacunda from the Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh).

Fig. 5

Fig. 6 Monthly variations of gonadosomatic index (GSI with maximum and minimum values of Andontostoma chacunda from the Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh).

Fig. 6

3.5 Spawning season

Mature females were abundant from January to May and September to December, indicated by high GSI (%) values, suggesting these periods as the spawning seasons for A. chacunda in the Bay of Bengal. The highest GSI (%) value in December indicated the peak spawning season (Fig. 6).

4 Discussion

The length-weight relationship is fundamental for estimating the growth patterns and population dynamics of fish. It plays a crucial role in parameterizing yield formulas, calculating stock size and biomass, and assessing fish conditions [18]. In this study, we found the maximum length is 26.7 cm in TL of A. chacunda which is larger than all the found lengths of previous studies of this species 24.0 cm [19], 21.0 cm [20], 19.90 cm [21,22], 18.90 cm [18], 16.90 cm [23], 15.6 cm [24]. Variation of length is greatly affected by many factors related to pollution, population variability, sampling season, estimation methods, availability of food, feeding intensity, fish size, age, sex, and stage of maturation [25]. From the LWR, the b value was 3.34 for A. chacunda in the Bay of Bengal which indicates positive allometric growth of this species. The b values of A. chacunda 2.94, 1.98, and 2.53 respectively which showed negative allometric growth [18,21,23]. Isometric growth was (3.03) [19], (3.08) [24], and (3.04) [22]. These variations can occur due to the size range of specimens and seasonal changes in water bodies [26]. Based on the mean condition of individual parameters LWR can fluctuate within seasons of a year [12,27].

Based on the obtained result, we found the A. chacunda in good condition throughout the year in the Bay of Bengal. The lowest to highest KF was 0.87–2.02 and the mean value was 1.34 with 0.13 standard deviation. The minimum to maximum value range of KF for A. chacunda 2.30 to 2.54 in the Mersing Coastal Waters, Johor, Malaysia [23]. It indicates that A. chacunda was also in good condition in Mersing coastal water which agrees with our result. Fish conditions may depend on or vary because of some factors; physiology, environment, nutrition, and cycle of biology [28]. KF values can be affected by fluctuations in temperature and photoperiod [23,29].

In this study, we used three different models to estimate the Lm of A. chacunda which are the maximum length-based model, gonado somatic index (%), and logistic model and the obtained results were 15.40, 16.30, and 16.80 cm in TL, respectively. Maturity size of A. chacunda was 14.1 cm on the Mangalore coast, of India [4]. This difference can occur due to sampling method, fish size, fishing pressure, geographical variation, and environmental parameter fluctuations [30,31].

Estimating the breeding time and migration for a fish stock spawning season plays an important role. Spawning time can be identified with the GSI (%) value, and the highest point indicates the peak spawning of the fish population [7]. We found the breeding season of A. chacunda from September to May (nine months) with peak breeding time in December. Spawning season of A. chacunda is from September to April in the Mangalore coast, India which is very similar to the current study [4]. The spawning season may depend on environmental factors (temperature and rainfall), hydrological factors (water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, etc), food availability, and low population.

5 Conclusion

Anodontostoma chacunda lives in the Bay of Bengal, exhibiting favorable conditions and exposing good growth trends. A. chacunda spawn their eggs nine months a year and the highest spawning period is December. Therefore, this study has a significant role in the conservation and management of this species and will be used as a guide for future researchers in these aspects.

Data availability statement

Available upon reasonable request.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Md Rabiul Hasan: Writing – original draft, Methodology, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Zannatul Mawa: Writing – original draft, Data curation. Md Yeamin Hossain: Supervision.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors insured that they have no known financial or interpersonal conflicts that would.

have seemed to have an impact on the research presented in this study.

Acknowledgement

The authors are very grateful to the PIU-BARC-NATP-2 PBRG-156 for financial help.
==== Refs
References

1 Hasan M.R. Mawa Z. Rahman M.A. Yeasmin S. Mahmud Y. Hossain M.Y. Population structure and length-weight relationships of Anadara granosa and Meretrix lamarckii from the bay of Bengal Sarhad J. Agric. 38 4 2022 1254 1259
2 Ghosh S. Satishkumar M. Manas H.M. Rohit P. Abdussamad E.M. Gopalakrishnan A. Reproductive biology of the sawtooth barracuda, Sphyraena putnamae, in the Bay of Bengal, India Environ. Biol. Fish. 104 2021 1421 1432
3 Mawa Z. Hossain M.Y. Hasan M.R. Tanjin S. Rahman M.A. Sarmin M.S. Habib K.A. First record on size at sexual maturity and optimum catchable length of 10 marine fishes from the Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh) through multi-models approach: a key for sound fisheries management Environ. Sci. Pollut. Control Ser. 28 28 2021 38117 38127
4 Ramya V.C. Benakappa S. Mahesh V. Naik A.S. Anjanayappa H.N. Vijaykumar M.E. Breeding seasonality of Anodontostoma chacunda (Hamilton, 1822) off Mangalore coast, Karnataka, India Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences 48 5 2019 628 634
5 Rainboth W.J. FAO species identification field guide for fishery purpose Fish of the Cambodian Mekong, Rome 1996 265
6 Williams J.T. Di Dario F. Anodontostoma Chacunda 2017 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
7 Hasan M.R. Hossain M.Y. Mawa Z. Hossain M.A. Reproductive biology of Heteropneustes fossilis in a wetland ecosystem (Gajner Beel, Bangladesh) in relation to eco-climatic factors: suggesting a sustainable policy for aquaculture, management and conservation Saudi J. Biol. Sci. 29 2 2022 1160 1174 35197783
8 King R.P. Length-weight relationships and related statistics of 73 populations of fish occurring in inland waters of Nigeria NAGA, ICLARM Quartely 19 1996 49 52
9 Richter T.J. Development and evaluation of standard weight equations for bridge-lip suckers and large-scale suckers N. Am. J. Fish. Manag. 27 2007 936 939
10 Pardo K.C.E. Ticzon V.S. Camacho M.V.C. Determining sexual Development and size at sexual maturity of Sardinella tawilis and its implications on management The Philippine Journal of Fisheries 30 1 2023
11 Le Cren E.D. The length-weight relationships and seasonal cycle in gonad weight and condition in the perch (Perca fluviatilis) J. Anim. Ecol. 20 1951 201 219
12 Froese R. Cube law, condition factor and weight-length relationship: history, meta-analysis and recommendations J. Appl. Ichthyol. 22 2006 241 253
13 Fulton T.W. The rate of growth of fishes Twenty-second annual report 1904 141 241
14 Binohlan C. Froese R. Empirical equations for estimating maximum length from length at first maturity J. Appl. Ichthyol. 25 2009 611 613
15 Hossain M.Y. Ahmed Z.F. Islam A.B.M.S. Jasmine S. Ohtomi J. Gonadosomatic index-based size at first sexual maturity and fecundity indices of the Indian river shad Gudusia chapra (Clupeidae) in the Ganges River (NW Bangladesh) J. Appl. Ichthyol. 26 2010 550 553
16 Nikolsky G.V. The Ecology of Fishes 1963 Academic press New York
17 King M. Fisheries Biology, Assessment and Management 2nd edition 2007 Oxford press London 382 2007
18 Dar S.A. Thomas S.N. Chakraborty S.K. Jaiswar A.K. Length-weight relationships for five species of clupeidae caught from Mumbai coast, India Fish. Technol. 51 4 2014 291 294
19 Letourneur Y. Kulbicki M. Labrosse P. Length-weight relationships of fish from coral reefs and lagoons of New Caledonia, southwestern Pacific Ocean: an update Naga ICLARM Q 21 4 1998 39 46
20 Rao M.B. Biological studies on the gizzad shad Anodontostoma chacunda Hamilton (fam: clupeidae) J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. India 7 1 1965 89 100
21 Hussain S.M. Paperno R. Khatoon Z. Length–weight relationships of fishes collected from the Korangi‐Phitti Creek area (Indus delta, northern Arabian Sea) J. Appl. Ichthyol. 26 3 2010 477 480
22 Siddik M.A.B. Chaklader M.R. Hanif M.A. Islam M.A. Fotedar R. Length–weight relationships of four fish species from a coastal artisanal fishery, southern Bangladesh J. Appl. Ichthyol. 32 6 2016 1300 1302
23 Das S.K. Tou W.X. Noor N.M. De M. Samat A. Length-weight relationship, condition factor, and age estimation of commercially important trawl species from Mersing coastal waters, Johor, Malaysia Sains Malays. 50 1 2021 1 7
24 Arshad A. Jimmy A. Nurul Amin S.M. Japar Sidik B. Harah Z.M. Length–weight and length–length relationships of five fish species collected from seagrass beds of the Sungai Pulai estuary, Peninsular Malaysia J. Appl. Ichthyol. 24 3 2008 328 329
25 Famoofo O.O. Abdul W.O. Biometry, condition factors and length-weight relationships of sixteen fish species in Iwopin fresh-water ecotype of Lekki Lagoon, Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria Heliyon 6 1 2020 e02957
26 Pan L. Xie J.J. Yang Z. Tang H.Y. Qiao Y. Length–weight relationships of six fish species from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, southwest China J. Appl. Ichthyol. 30 2013 552 554
27 Ricker W.E. Linear regressions in fisheries research J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 30 1973 409 434
28 Simon K.D. Mazlan A.G. Cob Z.C. Condition factors of two archerfish species from Johor coastal waters, Malaysia Sains Malays. 42 8 2013 1115 1119
29 De M. Ghaffar M.A. Bakar Y. Cob Z.C. Das S.K. Optimum temperature for the growth form of tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀) × giant grouper (E. lanceolatus♂) hybrid Sains Malays. 45 4 2016 541 549
30 Ferreri R. Genovese S. Barra M. Biagiotti I. Hervé Bourdeix Jean H.B. Felice A.D. m, DeniS Gasparevic M.D. Hattab T. Iglesias M. Juretic T. Leonori I. Malavolti S. Raykov V.S. Saraux C. Ticna V. Ventero A. Basilone G. Variability in size at maturity of European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) within the Mediterranean Sea Mediterr. Mar. Sci. 22 4 2021 858 870
31 Mawa Z. Hossain M.Y. Hasan M.R. Asaduzzaman M. Reproductive aspects of Anabas testudineus collected from the Gajner Beel wetland in Bangladesh: implications for its conservation under changing eco-climatic conditions and suggestions for best aquaculture practice Environ. Sci. Pollut. Control Ser. 29 44 2022 66277 66294
