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BONY FISHES

MEGALOPIDAE Megalops cyprinoides (Broussonet, 1782) PLATE I, 1

Synonyms : None Loc. names : Kinarhal (Sin); Mota (Bal) Tarpon (En) FAO names : En - Indo-Pacific tarpon Fr - Tarpon indo-pacifique Sp - Tarpon indo-pacifico Size : Max.: 55 cm; common to 30 cm Fishing gear : Caught with gillnets, seines and trawls Habitat and biology : A pelagic species, usually found in coastal waters, including lagoons and estuaries. Feeds on fishes and crustaceans Interest to fisheries : Present all along the coast, but caught only in small quantities

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ALBLIDAE Albula vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms : None Loc. names : Viat (Sin); Mushk (Bal) Lady fish (En) FAO names : En - Roundjaw bonefish Fr - Banane lèvre ronde Sp - Macabi boca redonda Size : Max.: to at least 50 cm Fishing gear : Taken mainly with gillnets, on hook and line and by castnets Habitat and biology : Usually found over sand and mud bottoms, in shallow coastal waters. Feeds on the bottom, using the snout for grubbing Interest to fisheries : Caught only occasionally, no special fishery for this species. The flesh is said to be rather good.

NOTE: The species Albula vulpes has recently been separated into two new species, A. glossodonta and A.

neoguinaica because of differences in the shape of the mouth and of the parasphenoid and basibranchial tooth

patches. For questions of simplicity, and since more research is still needed, we use here the old name A. vulpes for both forms

ELOPIDAE Elops machnata (Forsskål, 1775)

Synonyms Elops saurus (misidentification)

Loc. names : Kinarhal (Sin); Nar, Bagga (Bal) Tenpounder (En) FAO names : En - Tenpounder Fr - Guinée saumon Sp - Malacho salmòn

Size : Max.: 90 cm; common to 50 cm Fishing gear : Caught with seines, gillnets and handlines

Habitat and biology : Pelagic, i n coastal waters, sometimes entering

lagoons and estuaries. Spawning probably takes place at sea and the larvae migrate to inshore nursery areas. Feeds on small fishes and crustaceans

Interest to fisheries : Caught occasionally, no special fishery for this species

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BONY FISHES

CLUPEIDAE

Loc. names : Palli, Palla, Goi, Mittoo, etc.

FAO names : En - Herrings, shads, sardinellas, sprats, sardines, etc. Fr - Sardinelles, aloses, shadines, harengs, chardins, etc. Sp - Sardinelas, sábalos , sardines, sardines , arenques, etc.

Size : Most species are rather small (between 15 and 20 cm) except for Tenualosa species which may reach 60 cm

Fishing gear : Seines, trawls, gillnets, castnets, beach seines and stakenets

Habitat and biology : Most species are marine but several ( Dussumieria, Thrissocles and Ilisha species) can stand low salinities and are often caught in estuaries. Tenualosa ilisha ascends rivers for breeding. Most species form large schools

Interest to fisheries : The combined annual catches of clupeid fishes (from 1972 to 1983) averaged 32 533 t and were represented mainly by Tenualosa ilisha and Sardinella longiceps (Marine Fisheries Department, Government of Pakistan, 1984). However, these figures probably include many other clupeid species. Most of these small pelagic fishes are caught together in mixed catches and are used for fishmeal

Anodontostoma chacunda (Ham.Buch., 1822) PLATE I, 2

Synonyms None

Loc. names : Daddi-palli (Sin); Goi (Bal) Shortnose gizzard shad (En)

FAO names : En - Chacunda gizzard-shad Fr - Alose chaconde Sp - Sábalo chacunda

Size : Max.: 17 cm; common to 14 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines, shallow trawls, castnets and wire nets (modified purse seine)

Habitat and biology : Pelagic, in inshore waters. Feeds upon detritus, phytoplankton and zooplankton (predominantly small copepods and larval fishes). Sexually ripe from November to January

Interest to fisheries : Caught mainly in November and December on the Baluchistan coast. Dried and used for the production of fishmeal - 5 -

BONY FISHES

CLUPEIDAE

Dussumieria acuta Valenciennes, 1847

Synonyms None

Loc. names : Tel-tampri (Sin) Common sprat (En)

FAO names : En - Rainbow sardine Fr - Sardine arc-en-ciel Sp - Sardina arco iris

Size : Max.: 20 cm; common to 15 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with setnets, beach and purse seines and shallow water trawls

Habitat and biology : Pelagic, in inshore waters

Escualosa thoracata (Valenciennes, 1847)

Synonyms : Kowala thoracata Fowler, 1941 Kowala coval auct.

Loc. names : Mithoo (Sin); Bee-chum (Bal) White sardine, Transparent herring (En)

FAO names : En - White sardine Fr - Alose bianche Sp - Sardina bianca

Size : Max.: 10 cm; common to 8 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines, liftnets and shal- low trawls

Habitat and biology : Pelagic in coastal waters. Feeds on zooplankton (copepods, crab and bivalve larvae, fish eggs) and on phytoplankton

Hilsa kelee (Cuvier, 1829) PLATE I, 3

Synonyms : Macrura kelee Fowler, 1941 Hilsa kanaqurta (Bleeker, 1852)

Loc. names : Palli (Sin); Kolgar, Barrag (juv.)(Bal) Fivespot herring (En)

FAO names : En - Kelee shad Fr - Alose palli Sp - Sábalo chandano

Size : Max.: 25 cm; common to 20 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines, liftnets and trawls. Consumed fresh but also processed to fish- meal

Habitat and biology : Pelagic in coastal waters - 6 -

BONY FISHES

CLUPEIDAE Ilisha megaloptera (Swainson, 1839)

Synonyms : None

Loc. names : Palli (Sin); Bee-chum (Bal)

FAO names : En - Bigeye ilisha Fr - Alosa à gros yeux Sp - Sardineta ojigrande

Size : Max.: 28 cm; common to 20 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines, liftnets and trawls

Habitat and biology : Pelagic in coastal waters

Ilisha melastoma (Schneider, 1801)

Synonyms Ilisha indica (Swainson, 1839) Ilisha brachysoma (Bleeker, 1852) Ilisha filigera (Valenciennes) (mis.)

Loc. names : Palli (Sin); Bee-chum (Bal) Jewelled shad (En)

FAO names : En - Indian ilisha Fr - Alose indienne Sp - Sardineta indica

Size : Max.: 13 cm; common to 12 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines, liftnets and trawls in shallow waters

Habitat and biology : Pelagic in coastal waters

Nematalosa nasus (Bloch, 1795)

Synonyms None

Loc. names : Daddi-palli (Sin); Goi (Bal) Long-ray bony bream (En)

FAO names : En - Blochs gizzard-shad Fr - Chardin gros nez Sp - Machuelo narigón

Size : Max.: 22 cm; common to 20 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines, liftnets and trawls

Habitat and biology : Pelagic, in coastal waters, also entering estuaries. Found in large numbers in creeks

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BONY FISHES

CLUPEIDAE

Opisthopterus tardoore (Cuvier, 1829)

Synonyms None

Loc. names : Koor, Palli (Sin); Portuk (Bal) Long finned herring . (En) Big-eyed herring (En)

FAO names : En - Tardoore Fr - Poisson-papiér tarture Sp - Arenquillo tardore

Size : Max.: 20 cm; common to 18 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines, liftnets and trawls in shallow waters

Habitat and biology : Pelagic, in shallow coastal waters, most abundant in creeks

Pellona dichela Valencienne, 1847

Synonyms Pellona hoevenii Bleeker, 1852

Loc. names : Palli (Sin); Bee-chum (Bal) Toothed shad (En)

FAO names : En - Indian pellona Fr - Alose-écaille indienne Sp - Sardinata indica

Size : Max.: 16 cm; common to 13 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines, liftnets and trawls in shallow waters

Habitat and biology : Usually found in shallow coastal waters, but sometimes abundant in estuaries, lagoons and even rivers

PLATE I, 4

Sardinella albella (Valenciennes, 1847)

Synonyms Sardinella bulan (Sleeker, 1849) Sardinella perforata (Cantor, 1850) Harengula dollfusi Chabanaud, 1933

Loc. names : Tarli, Luar (Sin); Lugger, Luar (Bal) Short-bodied sardine (En)

FAO names : En - White sardinella Fr - Sardinelle blanche Sp - Sardinela bianca

Size : Max.: 14 cm; common to 10 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines, gilinets and trawls in shallow waters

Habitat and biology : A schooling species, usually in coas- tal waters. Due to misidentifications, published biological data are quite unreliable. Said to spawn in February to April. Feeds on zooplankton (crustaceans, larval molluscs) and on phytoplankton scale - 8 -

BONY FISHES

CLUPEIDAE Sardinella gibbosa (Bleeker, 1849)

Synonyms : Sardinella jussieu (Lacepède 1803) (no

Sardinella tembang (Bleeker, 1851)

Sardinella taiwanensis Raja Hiyama, 1969

Loc. names : Tarli, Luar (Sin); Lugger, Luar (Bal)

FAO names : En - Goldstripe sardinella Fr - Sardinelle dorée Sp - Sardinela dorada

Size : Max.: 17 cm; common to 15 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines and trawls

Habitat and biology : Coastal, pelagic, schooling. The possible confusion with other Sardinella species, especially S. fimbriata, makes published biological data not fully reliable

scale

Sardinella longiceps Valenciennes, 1847

Synonyms : None

Loc. names : Tarli, Luar (Sin); Lugger, Luar (Bal) Oil sardine (En)

FAO names : En - Indian oil-sardine Fr - Sardinelle indienne Sp - Sardinela aceitera

Size : Max.: 23 cm; common to 16 cm

Fishing gear : Caught with seines and trawls, castnets and wire nets (modified purse seine)

Habitat and biology : A pelagic species, mainly coas- tal. Forms large schools and is highly migratory. Feeds mainly on phytoplankton and detritus. Espe- cially abundant along the Baluchistan coast. Sexually ripe from July to December

Interest to fisheries : Caught throughout the year, but in the Gwader area on the Baluchistan coast occurs in abundance during May and September. Separate catch statistics reported by the Handbook of Fisheries Statistics of Pakistan (1973-83) range from 4 008 t (1974) to 56 346 t (1981) with an average of 25 059 t. However, these figures probably also include other species of Sardinella

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