Study of age and growth of Indian sand whiting, sillago sihama (Forsskal) from Zuari estuary, Goa

Present study consists age and growth of Sillago sihama. Total 1465 fish were collected from Zuari estuary during January 2004-April 2005 as a part of the above study. To evaluate the age at corresponding length, length frequency distribution (LFD) analysis was applied. Growth check on otolith was also used. Number of annual rings on otolith indicated the presence of four age groups namely, 0+, 1, 2 and 3 year classes. The mean lengths of each age group was 88 mm, 130.9 mm, 168.3 mm and 199.8 mm, respectively. Von Bertalanffy growth equation (VBGE) was used to estimate the growth parameters as: Lt = 388 [1- e (-0.1526 (t- (-1.6))]. Length weight relationship (LWR) revealed that only male of S. sihama follows the cube law. Relative condition factor (Kn) is influenced by several factors. Feeding activity and reproduction cycle are the main factors influence the condition in the species.