Population demography of two emperor breams Lethrinus lentjan (Lacepede, 1802) and Lethrinus nebulosus (Forsskal, 1775), along Tuticorin coast, Gulf of Mannar, India
2025
Jebarani Rajathy Thangaraj | Mohanraj Theivasigamani | Srinivasan Muthukumarasamy | Jyothibabu Retnamma
Lethrinids are significant to the global socio-economic profile; however, there is limited understanding of their population size structure, exploitation status, maturity and life cycle characteristics. The present study, based on samples collected between March 2019 and February 2020, examined the population demography of two major reef species, Lethrinus lentjan (Pink-ear emperor) and L. nebulosus (Spangled emperor) from the Gulf of Mannar, south-east coast of India. The length-frequency distribution of both species indicated that smaller fishes (<15 cm) were prevalent near the seagrass meadows. In contrast, the sub-adults and adults (>15 cm) were significantly distributed over the coral reef regions. Both species exhibited multiple spawning peaks on a temporal scale. It was evident that fishes in the modal length class 15-30 cm are extremely vulnerable to fishing mortality (F). The study emphasises the importance of understanding the ecological dynamics of reef fish species to enhance resource management through gear restriction and prioritising areas for juvenile conservation. Keywords: Gulf of Mannar, Habitat, Lethrinus, Size structure, Spawning
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