Reproductive Biology of Acetes intermedius in Coastal Waters of Miri, Sarawak

This study was carried out in coastal waters of Miri to determine the gonadosomatic index and fecundity of Acetes intermedius. Sampling was collected using beam trawl from March 2016 to September 2016. For species identification and sex determination, petasma, bases of third legs of female A. intermedius and lower antennular flagellum were identified with the Acetes size range from 20 mm to 39 mm with 40 specimens each month. The variation in the gonadosomatic index (GSI) showed continuous breeding of A. intermedius. March showed the lowest amount of GSI, 0.61% whereas September has the highest value of GSI, 2.41 % compared to the other months. The size at sexual maturity of female A. intermedius was 26 mm of total length. All the egg stages include spent ovaries present in all months except for March. The estimated mean fecundity of A. intermedius was 415.13 ± 388.69 (range 40-2020.33) eggs. The knowledge of the reproductive biology studied in the present study is an important tool to define strategies to manage population of A. intermedius in coastal waters of Miri