<span style="font-size:15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:13.5pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA" lang="EN-US">Age and growth of Indo- Pacific Sailfish, <i>Istiophorus</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> platypterus</i> (SHAW AND NODDER, 1792) in the Andaman and Nicobar waters.</span>

Abstract

<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:="" en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">In the present paper an attempt has been made to study the age and growth of Indo Pacific Sailfish by analyzing the length frequency and length weight data. Females were recorded in the length range of 113 to 232cm (fork length) and males were in the length range of 131cm-228cm (fork length). Length weight relationship for the species was W = 0.00006 L ^2.48, (r= 0.97) for male and for female it was W = 0.00002 L 2.64(r = 0.95). A comparison of negative allometric growth between males and females using t- test and ANOVA indicated no significant difference between the length- weight relationships of both the sexes. Slope for male (t =2.16, df= 75) and female (t= 2.68, df = 68) were not significantly different from 3. Regression lines for male and female were not significantly different (F = 0.4772). Hence a combined equation was worked out and it was W = 0.00004 L ^2.52, r (=0.96). Growth parameters such as L∞, K and t₀ for females were 246.8 cm, 0.33/year and -0.28 respectively and for males theses were 236.3cm, 0.48/year and -0.19 respectively. Longevity of females (8.8 years) was more than that of the males (6.1 years). VBGF curves indicated rapid initial growth for both the species and the growth of the males was more in comparison to the females. </span>