Observations on the fi shery and biology of the cusk eel Monomitopus nigripinnis (Alcock, 1889) occurring in deepsea landings at Chennai

Abstract

The cusk eel Monomitopus nigripinnis was observed in the deepsea trawl landings at Chennai Fisheries Harbour during February–April 2008 to 2011. Some observations were made on the biology of this species based on 122 specimens collected during 2010-2011. The length and weight ranges of males were 208-402 mm and 53-558 g and those of females were 216-415 mm and 55-556 g respectively. Parameters of the length-weight relationship were derived as a = 0.00000096 and b = 3.346. The male-female sex ratio was 1:1.1. About 50% of the females were in advanced stages of gonadal maturation. Spawning or spent fi shes were not encountered. Analysis of gut contents revealed a preference for shrimps. The fecundity was estimated to be 82,600 in a fi sh of 412 mm TL.