The Length-Weight Relationships of Twelve Fish Species from the Heishui River, China

Wang, Yongmeng; Pan, Xinglin; Tian, Huiwu; Wang, Meng; Jin, Zhijun; Lin, Chenyu; Li, Dongqing; Li, Zhimin; Chang, Li; Chen, Fan; Shi, Xiaotao

doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/6667189

Journal of Applied Ichthyology

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Abstract Introduction Materials and Methods Results Discussion Data Availability Disclosure Conflicts of Interest Acknowledgments References Copyright Related Articles

Research Article | Open Access

Volume 2024 | Article ID 6667189 | https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/6667189

The Length-Weight Relationships of Twelve Fish Species from the Heishui River, China

Yongmeng Wang,¹Xinglin Pan,¹Huiwu Tian,²Meng Wang,¹Zhijun Jin,¹Chenyu Lin,^3,4Dongqing Li,^3,4Zhimin Li,⁵Li Chang,¹Fan Chen,¹and Xiaotao Shi^3,4

Academic Editor: Mohamed Abdelsalam

Received26 Jun 2023

Revised17 Oct 2023

Accepted29 Jan 2024

Published17 Feb 2024

Abstract

Length-weight relationships are presented for twelve fish species collected at 22 sampling points in the Heishui River, a priority tributary for fish conservation in the mainstream of the Baihetan Reservoir area, China. A combination of gill nets was used for sampling over a period between November 2018 and May 2021. The gill nets consisted of 12 nets per point with dimensions of 20 × 2 m (length and width), mesh size ranging from 20 to 80 mm, and soaking depth ranging from 40 to 160 cm. In addition, fixed gill nets were employed, with 10 nets per point having dimensions of 10 to 30 m in length and 1.5 to 2.5 m in width. The mesh size of these fixed gill nets was 10, 15, or 20 mm. This study presents the length-weight relationships of twelve species for the first time in the Heishui River Basin, including the new maximum body length of Pseudorasbora parva (Temminck and Schlegel, 1846). The slope () values for the assessed species ranged from 2.5 to 3.5. All the estimated relationships are highly significant () with a high coefficient of determination ranging from 0.9574 to 0.9997. It is expected that the results obtained from this study will contribute to filling the knowledge gap in this area and also assist fisheries scientists in future assessment studies.

1. Introduction

After the impoundment of the Baihetan hydropower station in 2021, significant environmental changes have occurred in the Heishui River, which is one of the main tributaries to the Baihetan Dam reservoir. These changes include alterations in water temperature, hydrological conditions, and riverbed structure [1, 2]. These environmental shifts have had crucial impacts on fishery resources’ growth, reproduction, habitat conditions, and biodiversity. In addition, the interruption of river connectivity has obstructed fish migration [3].

The length-weight relationship (LWR) of fish is of great importance in fishery research. It is commonly used to estimate fish weight based on length distribution, determine the growth pattern of species, and analyze temporal and spatial variations in fish population conditions and adaptability [4]. In the Heishui River, more than 44 fish species have been reported [4]. However, due to the scarcity of data on LWRs, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap by presenting the first reference for LWRs of twelve fish species.

2. Materials and Methods

Specimens of twelve fish species were collected from the main stream of the Heishui River from November 2018 to May 2021. Fish resource surveys were conducted for an average of 30 days per quarter, ensuring an annual average of 120 days. A total of 22 sampling points (see Figure 1 and Table 1) were set up in the main stream of the Heishui River. Fish specimens were collected twice a day using a combination of gill nets (12 nets per point with dimensions of 20 × 2 m in length and width, mesh size: 20∼80 mm, and soaking depth: 40∼160 cm) and fixed gill nets (10 nets per point with dimensions of 10∼30 m in length and 1.5∼2.5 m in width and mesh size: 10, 15, or 20 mm). The trapping time was 10 hours per day. Fish species were identified according to Ding [5] and Chu [6]. The total length (TL) and body weight (BW) were measured on-site with an accuracy of 0.1 cm and 0.1 g, respectively.

The length-weight relationships of twelve fish species were determined using a log-transformed equation: , where BW is the wet body weight (g), TL is the total length (cm), is the intercept, and is the slope. The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and coefficient of determination () were determined for the regression parameters and . In addition, this study introduces the fish body fullness BW/ [7] to reflect the fatness of fish.

In this study, log-log plots were used to remove outlier data, and the significance of all regressions in the datasets was tested by using Origin 9.0. The relationship between the fish body fullness and the regression parameter was tested by the Pearson correlation test. The significance levels for all analysis are set at .

3. Results

This paper analyzes 12 fish species belonging to 2 families and 1 order. The ranges of TL (cm), and BW (g), as well as the LWR parameters ( and ), coefficient of determination (), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for and are shown in Table 2. The values of parameter range from 2.505 to 3.307 for 12 fish LWRs, consistent with the expected range of 2.5–3.5 in the natural environment, as reported by Ma et al. [16], Wang et al. [17], and Yang et al. [18]. The relationships between TL and BW are highly significant for all fish species (), with values ranging from 0.9574 to 0.9997 for the LWRs.

As can been seen from Table 2, the values of parameter for the 12 fish species in this study range from 2.505 to 3.307. According to Ngot [19], Masoumi [20], and Falsone [21], the value of can be used to describe the growth pattern of a fish: allometric growth ( ≠ 3) represents a fish that has less girth as length increases ( < 3) or has an increase in plumpness as length increases ( > 3), and isometric growth ( = 3) describes a fish that grows with an unchanging body form. In the present study, only the value b of Homatula potanini (Günther, 1896) and Zacco platypus [12] is greater than 3. Furthermore, the relationship between fish body fullness and the values of parameters was analyzed by linear fitting (see Figure 2). The results show that the fish body fullness of Cobitidae and Cyprinidae has a significant positive correlation with the value of . For Cobitidae, y = 0.029x−0.017 ( = 0.80, ), and for Cyprinidae, y = 0.032x−0.039 (, ). In addition, the value of in this study is 0.0490, which is higher than 0.0189 reported by Wang et al. [17], indicating that the fullness of Triplophysa anterodorsalis [9] has been improved since the restoration of the fish habitat in the Heishui River.

4. Discussion

The LWRs of 12 fish species in the Heishui River Basin are first reported in this study. According to FishBase [15] and other published literature, the LWRs of Triplophysa bleekeri [8] and Triplophysa xichangensis [9] in the Heishui River Basin have not been recorded (Table 2). This study provides the maximum body length of Pseudorasbora parva [12] for the first time.

In this study, the value of for Homatula variegata [8] is slightly higher than 2.510 reported in Ma et al. [16], and this value of for Discogobio yunnanensis [11] is 2.750, which is similar to 2.640 reported in Tang et al. [22], but lower than 3.22 indicated by Yang et al. [18]. For Schizothorax wangchiachii [14], there are also differences in the value of b compared with other studies from Ma et al. [16]. These difference might be related to environmental factors (i.e., habitat and breeding season), artificial factors (i.e., accuracy of length and weight measurements, number of captured specimens, and measurement time), and physiological factors (i.e., feeding rate, gonadal maturity, and spawning period) [23–25]; Yang et al. [26]. Furthermore, the value of for Triplophysa anterodorsalis [9] in this study is 2.505, which is different from 2.777 reported by Wang et al. [17] in the same basin before the impoundment of the Baihetan hydropower station.

Prior to the ecological restoration of the Heishui River Basin, several researchers surveyed fish resources in the basin at different times. For example, Yang [26] surveyed about 28 species of fish in 2014, Gao [27] surveyed about 39 species of fish in 2016, and Qiu [28] surveyed about 11 species in November 2017. After the ecological restoration of the basin, the research group investigated about 44 species of fish from 2018 to 2021 (12 species of fish in this paper are only part of them). Although the time of the fish resource survey is different, it may bring errors to the number of fish species investigated. Overall, restoration has greatly improved the dominant species and the number of fish in the basin, indicating a more suitable environment for fish and emphasizing the significant effect of tributary alternative habitats on fish protection. In conclusion, the results of this study have achieved a good agreement with previous studies and can be used to predict the LWRs of these 12 fish species.

Data Availability

The data used to support the findings of this study are included within the article.

Disclosure

The funder had no role in the study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (51922065), National Natural Science Foundation of China (52179070), Water Conservancy in Guizhou Province (KT202120), and the Open Research Fund of Hubei International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Fish Passage (HIBF2020007).

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Copyright

Copyright © 2024 Yongmeng Wang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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