BIOLOGY, FISHERY AND POPULATION DYNAMICS OF TWO- SPOTTED BARB, PUNTIUS TICTO (HAMILTON, 1822) FROM A FLOODPLAIN WETLAND IN LOWER GANGA BASIN

The food habit, reproductive behavior, length-weight relation, fishery status and population dynamics of Puntius ticto ware studied from a wetland in the lower Ganga basin. The fish subsisted mainly on phytoplankton. Sex ratio was in favor of females (1:2). Fecundity range was 2007 (4.9 cm and 1.72 g fish) to 4572 (5.2 cm and 2.39 g fish). Females matured at 4.1cm total length. The breeding period was June-October. The estimated von Bertalanffy growth coefficient K was 0.74 year -1 and the asymptotic growth L ∞ was 7.4 cm, while the instantaneous mortality coefficient (Z) was 2.57 year -1 , natural mortality coefficient (M) was 2.08 year -1 , fishing mortality (F) was 0.49 year -1 and the exploitation ratio (E) was 0.19 year -1 . The exploitation level required for obtaining maximum yield/recruit (E max ) was 0.74. Since E is less than half of E max, fishing pressure on the species in the wetland is low.