Fish diversity, abundance, and distribution in Sungai Sepang Besar Estuary Estuary, Selangor, Malaysia / Nurul Asyikin Ya

• Main Author: Ya, Nurul Asyikin
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Fisheries
• Online Access: https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/59872/1/59872.pdf; https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/59872/

This study was conducted from April 2014 to February 2015 to determine fish diversity and distribution along Sungai Sepang Besar (SSB), Selangor, Malaysia. Fish sampling was conducted utilizing gill nets (mesh sizes 1.25”, 1.5”, 2.25”, 2.5”, 2.75”, 3”) and longlines. Fish and water parameters sampling were conducted at nine stations along SSB. The dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, pH, and ammonia were significantly different (p<0.05) from sampling reaches while salinity, pH, and turbidity showed significant difference (p<0.05) between spring and neap tides. A total of 832 fish representing 50 fish species from 32 families were recorded. The Toxotidae was the most abundant (56.97%) followed by the Engraulidae (9.62%), Leiognathidae (5.05%), Plotosidae (4.81%), and Ariidae (4.45%). The most abundant fish species was Toxotes jaculatrix (34.6%). The lower reaches recorded the highest abundance of fishes (62.2%) followed by the upper reaches (19.3%) and the middle reaches (18.39%). The Shannon Index was 2.37, Evennes Index was 0.21, and Margalef Index was 7.29. Higher fish diversity was recorded during spring tide (H=2.85). There was significant differences (p<0.05) of the diversity indices between spring and neap tides where the former recorded higher values. One way ANOVA showed that density was significantly different between gillnets (p<0.05) being highest from the 1.5” mesh while biomass showed no significant difference (p>0.05) between mesh sizes. The 1.5’ mesh gillnet recorded highest density (0.43 no/m2/hr) and biomass (32.00 g/m2/hr) during neap tide. The fish density and biomass from gillnets was not significant between tides (p>0.05). The length-weight relationship for the 7 most abundant species showed that 5 species (Arius sagor, Photopectoralis. bindus, Toxotes jaculatrix, Stolephorus. indicus, and Thryssa dussumieri) recorded positive allometric growth (b >3) while 2 species (Plotosus lineatus and Toxotes chatareus) recorded negative allometric growth (b<3). The Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) indicated that DO, turbidity, salinity, and pH were most important abiotic factors affecting fish diversity and distribution in SSB.