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http://hdl.handle.net/1834/960
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| Title: | Abundance and Reproductive Biology of the Penaeid Prawns of Bagamoyo Coastal Waters, Tanzania |
| Authors: | Mgaya, Y.D.
Teikwa, E.D. |
| ASFA Terms: | Prawn culture |
| Issue Date: | 2003 |
| Publisher: | WIOMSA |
| Citation: | Western Indian Ocean journal of marine science, 2(2). p. 117-126 |
| Abstract: | The coastal waters of Bagamoyo in Tanzania constitute an important penaeid prawn trawling ground. Despite the high economic value attached to this resource, the biological
information necessary for its sustainable exploitation is scanty and fragmented. The present
study was therefore designed to investigate the species composition, population abundance and
reproduction of the penaeid prawns in Bagamoyo coastal and nearshore waters. Samples were
obtained monthly for a period of one year from inshore waters adjacent to the Ruvu Estuary
while additional samples were bought at the beach from artisanal fishermen. In the laboratory,
samples were identified to the species level. Four penaeid species, Fenneropenaeus indicus
(formerly known as Penaeus indicus [Farfante and Kensley, 1997]), Penaeus monodon, P.
japonicus, and Metapenaeus monoceros were found in the Ruvu Estuary and nearshore waters.
Fenneropenaeus indicus was the most abundant, and more so during the rainy season than the
dry season. The sex ratio in F. indicus was found to vary significantly from the theoretical 1:1
ratio while that of P. monodon did not vary significantly from 1:1. The average size at first
maturity was different within sexes. For F. indicus males and females carapace length was 3.4
and 3.9 cm respectively. For P. monodon it was 3.58 and 4.3 cm for males and females
respectively. Fecundity ranged from 40,000 to 222,000 eggs for F. indicus and 72,000 to 314,000
eggs for P. monodon. Fecundity increased with prawn size, suggesting that much of the available
energy in larger prawns is devoted to egg production rather than growth. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/960 |
| ISSN: | 0856-860X |
| Appears in Collections: | Miscellaneous
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