Observations on the fecundity and gonadosomatic index (GSI) of the Omani-Indian oil sardine Sardinella longiceps (Valenciennes 1847)

The Omani Indian oil sardine is considered among the most important fisheries in Oman. In this study we investigated the Fecundity (F) and Gonadosomatic (GSI) of a total of 70 mature Indian oil sardines collected from the coastal region of Muscat. The fecundity of the fish ranged between 5500 and 60000 with an average of 19000. A significant linear regression was found between F and fish Total Length (TL); Fish Weight (FW) and Gonad Weight (GW). The regression equations were found to be: F = 2982.1TL-28681; F = 927.02FW- 17214 and F = 15748GW - 3891.8. The results of the correlation regression were 0.966437; 0.796241 and 0.877952, respectively. The GSI analysis indicated that Omani Indian oil sardines show two major spawning peaks; March-April and during August.