Identification of fish populations with particular reference to the pelagic fish stocks of the Indian Ocean region

Abstract

The most essential step in any fishery management is the identification of discrete fish populations. This is particularly important for the development of Indian Ocean pelagic fisheries. The simple signal character analysis of meristic or metric characters which are usually employed do not give complete solutions to the problem, in such instances more sophisticated analysis for studying many characters together using the method of group constellations has been discussed. The development of blood groups in humans and its recent application to fish groups has been reviewed. The more recent analysis of haemoglobin components using electrophoretic techniques on paper, in agar and starch gel are discussed. The paper describes a new modification of starch gel electrophoresis method currently in use, and the application of this procedure for the study of clupeoid, scombroid and other pelagic fish populations of the Indian Ocean