TY  - JOUR
T1  - Fecundity of Some Commercially Important Demersal Fish Species in Ghanaian Coastal
Waters, West Africa
AU - K. Ofori-Danson, Patrick AU - Abdulhakim, Ali AU - K.K. Amponsah, Samuel 
JO  - Journal of Fisheries International
VL  - 10
IS  - 4
SP  - 33
EP  - 38
PY  - 2015
DA  - 2001/08/19
SN  - 1817-3381
DO  - jfish.2015.33.38
UR  - https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=jfish.2015.33.38
KW  - Absolute Fecundity (AF)
KW  -Relative Fecundity (RF)
KW  -Ghana
KW  -marine
KW  -recruitment
AB  - The study highlights the importance of
fecundity in estimating the reproductive potential of some
key fishes encountered within the Ghanaian coastal waters
and its usefulness in sustainable fishery management. A
total of 600 female fish specimen including <em>Dentex
congoensis</em>, <em>Dentex angolensis</em>, <em>Pagellus bellottii</em>, <em>Pagrus
caeruleostictus</em>, <em>Decapterus puntactus</em>, <em>Caranx crysos</em>,
<em>Trachurus trecae</em> and <em>Decapterus rhonchus</em> were
assessed. The respective gonads were obtained by
sampling the local catches at six coastal fish landing sites
in Ghana between from March 2016 to February 2017.
Obtained samples were measured for standard lengths
with the eggs from the anterior, middle and posterior
regions of respective ovaries (stages III & IV) weighed
for the estimation of absolute and relative fecundity.
Estimated absolute fecundity ranged from 0.4&times;10<sup>6</sup> ova for
<em>Trachurus trecae</em> of 3.03&times;10<sup>6</sup> ova for <em>Dentex angolensis</em>.
Further, computed relative fecundity ranged from 151.45
(<em>Pagrus caeruleostictus</em>) to 500.05 (<em>Decapterus
puntactus</em>). Additionally, the length-fecundity relationship
as well as the weight-fecundity relationship portrayed a
positive relationship which indicates that large sized and
big fish species produce more eggs than the small-sized
fishes. Implicatively, continuous harvesting of large-sized
fishes in the absence of appropriate management
measures may result in reduced recruitment. Thus,
implementation of management measures such as mesh
size regulation as well as stringent adherence to minimum
legal landing size of key commercial fishes in Ghana’s
coastal fishing operations are urgently backed.
ER  -