Exploitation Rate and Spawning Behaviour of Sardinella maderensis (Lowe,1838) in the Artisanal landings of the Montserrado County Fishing District, Liberia, West Africa

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Sellu Mawundu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6335-619X
Stephenson Zeantoe https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4176-1936

Keywords

Spawning behaviour, Sardinella maderensis, exploitation rate, West Africa, fish, artisanal landings

Abstract

The artisanal fishery sector plays a key role in the livelihoods of the coastal communities of Montserrado County of Liberia, accounting for roughly 89% of job creation. S. maderensis, commonly known as “Madeiran sardinella” or “Flat herring” or locally called in Liberia as “Flat bonny” is being the most commercially harvested fish stock in the artisanal fishery of Liberia. There is little or no information on the exploitation status of this fish stock in the artisanal fishery of Liberia.  Field sampling was conducted at three fish landing sites for a period of six months. On each sampling occasion, the total length (TL) of each fish sample was measured on a measuring board to the nearest 0.01cm. This was followed by taking fish samples and preserving them in a duraplast coolman for laboratory analysis for monthly gonadosomatic index and maturity stage classification. In the Laboratory, each sample was dissected with a scalpel by cutting the ventral part of the sample to display the gonads. The gonads were removed and weighed on an electronic balance to the nearest 0.1g, followed by the removal of the visceral and the weighing of the fresh weight of the fish sample on the same electronic balance to the nearest 0.1g. Data was recorded in an excel spread sheet which was later transferred to the FiSAT II Computer software for analysis of growth and mortality parameters. Results from the study suggest a Phi-prime value of 2.41 (a test value) that shows the degree of conformity of growth parameter estimates of this study to other studies of the same species in other locations and does not reveal significant variation. Results on monthly gonadosomatic index and maturity stage classification suggest the onset of the raining seasons (May-July) as the likelihood period for spawning of S. maderensis. The exploitation rate suggests the stock is still under exploited. It is recommended for an increasing fishing effort for sustainable harvesting of this stock and the use of the period between May-July as the timing for a closed season as a fishery regulatory policy to allow the adults spawn before been harvested to avoid recruitment overfishing.

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