Growth, mortality and stock assessment of Arius arius (Hamilton, 1822) from Hooghly-Matlah estuary, West Bengal

302-309The growth, mortality, and stock assessment of Arius arius were estimated based on monthly length-frequency analysis data collected from the Hooghly-Matlah estuary of West Bengal, India from April 2017 to March 2018. The estimated growth parameters were as L∞ = 278 mm, K = 0.97 yr-1, and t0 = -0.0889 years. The different mortality coefficients Z, M, and F were obtained as 5.25 yr-1, 1.79 yr-1, and 3.46 yr-1, respectively. The calculated exploitation ratio (E) was found as 0.66, and the M/K value as 1.845 indicating overexploitation of the fish. The recruitment was found throughout the year with two peaks and the value of Lc was found at 56.00 mm. The estimated virtual population analysis (VPA) indicated that the highest fishing mortality (F) of 3.4499 was observed at the 190-200 mm length class, followed by 3.2393 from the 180-190 mm length class. The fishery was found at the overexploitation level and measures are needed to regulate it for promoting its sustainability