FISHERIES AND BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION OF BOTTLENOSE WEDGEFISH (Rhynchobatus australiae) IN PULAU KAMBING FISH LANDING PORT TERENGGANU

Abstract

Rhynchobatus australiae is a species of wedgefish that is vulnerable to overfishing due to their life history characteristics This study aimed to determine the fisheries and biological information of R. australiae in Terengganu waters. A total of 26 fish were collected over a 3-month period in Pulau Kambing Fish Landing Port, Terengganu and analysed for abundance, length frequency distribution, LWRs, and growth parameters. Results showed that the abundance of R. australiae in Terengganu was higher compared to the estimation made in other locations, with a CPUE of 49.05 kg/haul and 9.15 kg/day. The LWRs for males, females, and pooled sexes were a = 0.0057 and b = 2.9404, a = 0.0018, b = 3.2078, and a = 0.0029, b = 3.0979, respectively. The von Bertalanffy Growth parameters for male, female, and pooled sexes of R. australiae were k = 0.035, L∞ = 332.825, t0 = -4.495, k = 1.005, L∞ = 43.161, t0 = -2.99, and k = 0.089, L∞=222.412, t0=-2.565, respectively. Males R. australiae exhibiting a higher average length than females. This study was limited in terms of the time span covered and the sample size, which may have introduced variability in the results and may not be representative of the larger fish population. However, the results of this study may serve as preliminary data for the fish population dynamics of R. australiae in Terengganu waters and could be used to guide future research. Future study with a longer time span and a larger, more diverse sample size are needed to estimate the abundance and size of R. australiae more accurately in this region.