The feeding and reproductive habits of Saurida tumbil and Rastrelliger kanagurata in the northern Oman Sea

This study was conducted to determine the feeding and reproductive biology of Saurida tumbil and Rastrelliger kanagurta in the northern Oman Sea in 2020 -21. A total of 134 and 157 specimens of S. tumbil and R. kanagurta were collected from landing sites of Sistan and Baluchistan waters, respectively. The results of S. tumbil feeding analysis showed that the main diets of this species are fishes, mollusks and shrimps. Gastric emptying index (CV) indicated that this species was highly fed in winter and was identified as a gluttonous species. The results show the lowest value of Gonado-Somatic Index (GSI) in spring and the highest in summer. The reproduction of S. tumbil occurred after summer. Length (TL) at first maturity (LM50) for this species was estimated to be about 37.9 cm. The Food Preference (Fp) index showed that the main diets of R. kanagurta are phytoplankton and algae and CV reaches its maximum value in autumn. GSI of this species also shows the lowest level in spring and the highest in summer, which indicates that the peak of reproduction of R. kanagurta occurred after summer. Length (TL) at first maturity (LM50) for this species estimated to be about 25.2 cm.