Length weight relationship: The growth conditions of
Arius maculatus in Matang mangrove reserves were
modelled using a non-linear regression of length and
weight (W = aLb) relationship as shown in Fig. 3. The
results showed that the b value is less than 3, which
indicated that this fish species in Matang mangrove
reserves display an allometrical negative growth
condition. This means that the rate of increased in
weight is lesser than that of length. There are many
factors affecting the value of ‘b’ through out the fish
life history. Several important factors such as gonad
development and the availability of the food in their
natural habitats can greatly effects the value of ‘b’. In
this study, the initial stages of gonadal development
found in most of the fish caught were believed in
resulting the lower b value. This is because, during the
gonadal development stages, most of the inner energy
(including reserve energy) were utilised for the gonad development instead for building up the new body
tissues.