Assessment of Spawning Fecundity and its Relation with Body Parameters in Brown Trout (Salmo trutta fario) of Kashmir Himalayas

Background and Objective: Fecundity is an essential index of fish biology and is often used to evaluate the reproductive potential of particular fish species that must be understood to explain the variations in the level of the fish population, as well as to make efforts to increase the aquaculture harvest and production. The purpose of the study was to understand the relationship between total body length, body weight, spawning fecundity and relative fecundity in brown trout (S. trutta fario). Materials and Methods: Male and female brown trout were segregated before stripping. Eggs were stripped in dry, clean plastic bowls by applying gentle pressure to the abdomen of female rainbow trout. Spawning fecundity was determined by counting the total number of stripped eggs per female brown trout. The total length (cm) of male and female rainbow trout was determined and the total body weight (g) was calculated. Data were analyzed using MS Excell, PAST Software. Correlation between the body size and spawning fecundity was estimated. Results: The mean length of male brown trout (38.86±1.41 cm) while the mean length for female brown trout (37.98±1.30 cm) was observed. The average weight of male and female brown trout was 772.7±41.4 and 757.6±57.22 g, respectively. The spawning fecundity per female fish ranged from 961-1604 eggs, with a relative fecundity of 1.41-1.56/g body weight. Conclusion: The current study noticed a significant positive association between total body length and body weight of male and female brown trout. Similarly, a significant positive correlation was recorded between total body length and spawning fecundity, body weight and spawning fecundity of brown trout were observed. However, relative fecundity formed a significant negative correlation between total length, body weight and spawning fecundity.