The length-weight and volume relationships of the Indian oil sardine Sardinella longiceps Val.

The study of length-weight relationship of fishes forms an important aspect of fishery biological investigations. Its practical applications while estimating the weight from the know length and vice versa and also in determining the condition factor or the ponderal index, the spav/ning seasons and the taxonomic differences of fishes (Lc Cren, 1951) hardly need any emphasis. The length-volume study gives an idea on the seasonal changes in their specific gravity {Tester, 1940). There has so far been no published account on the length-weight and volume relationships of the Indian oil sardine, Sardinella longiceps Val, The present communi" cation is a preliminary account of studies on these aspects taken up at Mangalore between October 1959 and November i960