LENGTH-WEIGHT RELATIONSHIP OF SCOLIODONLATICAUDUS MULLER AND HENLE AND CARCHARHINUS LIMBATUS (MULLER AND HENLE), FROM DAKSHINA KANNADA COAST

Length-weight relationships of two shark species were derived based on random samples from commercial catches of Mangalore, Malpe and GangoUi landing centres. The relationships were compared between sexes separately for each species and it was found that the relationships did not differ significantly. Both the species were found to exhibit isometric growth pattern. The length-weight relationships of elasmo-branchs are not well known as compared to their teleost counterparts. A few reports on shark length-weight relationships, however, are those of Ripley (1946), Olsen (1954), Stevens (1975) and Jones and Geen (1977). As the reports on the sharks of Indian seas are scanty, the present study was undertaken. Length-weight relationships in this study, are based on random samples of 458 speci-mens of Scoliodon laticaudus (size fange 16-46 cm SL) collected from trawl catches at Mangalore and 691 specimens of Carchar-hinus limbatus (size range 36-76 cm SL) collected from gill net catches at Malpe and GangoUi landing centres during the period March, 1980 to February, 1981. The speci-mens of the two shark species were measured, fortnightly at each centre, for standard bngth nearest to millimeters (i.e. distance from tip of the snout to base of upper caudal), using a measuring board and individual weight was recorded nearest to grammes