Assessment of Reproductive Indices Changes in Female Specimens of Channa Punctatus Under Varying Habitats in Tarai Region of Uttrakhand

The present study was undertaken on the yearlings of female specimens in C. punctatus (Bloch) from two different resources i.e. natural and captive environments. It consisted of the assessment of gonadal development and maturity in the specimens from reservoir and field ponds. Parameters studied were Gonado-somatic indices (GSI) and Hepato-somatic indices (HSI), condition factor (CF) and Somato-condition factor (SCF). The main objective of the study was to compare the gonadal development and associated changes in natural as well as captive conditions. In present study, spawning season in C. punctatus in captive condition and nature varied from April to September possibly due to different ecological as well as food available in different condition might be the most possible reason. GSI in female specimens from both the sources followed an increasing trend and reached at peak during June-August (highest in the month of June i.e. 3.4463 in captive and 3.8393in natural conditions while it was lowest in the month of January i.e. 0.1365 in captive and0.3877 in natural conditions) and has significant difference between spawning and pre spawning phase. The level of higher spawning activity exhibited in nature during March to late June, while in captive condition during June to August. The difference in periods for peak spawning/maturity/GSI in nature seem to be correlated with the difference in natural (genuine) food available and physicochemical as well as environmental parameters in both the conditions. HSI values in female sex have negative/inverse relationship (lowest HSI in June 0.7984 in captive conditions and 0.7631in nature while highest during December 1.5925±0.091in captive condition and 2.5103±0.22 in nature) with GSI simultaneously. The condition factor in female specimens from nature and captive conditions was recorded in higher range during pre-spawning to spawning phase while it was observed at its lowest during post spawning phase in both the conditions.