International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies
2018, Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part C
Sizes at first sexual maturity and capture and demographic parameters of crabs Callinectes amnicola and Cardisoma armatum in the complex Nokoué Lake Porto-Novo lagoon in South Benin
Author(s): Appolinaire Goussanou, Gabriel Assouan Bonou, Antoine Chikou, Guy Apollinaire Mensah and Issaka Youssao Abdou Karim
Abstract: Crabs
Callinectes amnicola and
Cardisoma armatum are intensively exploited in the complex Nokoué lake Porto-lagoon in South Benin. This study aims to evaluate the current exploitation level of these species based on the sizes at first sexual maturity and capture as well as on certain demographic parameters. For this, 1287
Callinectes amnicola crabs and 322
Cardisoma armatum crabs were collected, sexed and measured between May 2016 and April 2017. The study revealed that in both crab species, the calculated sex ratios were not different from the theoretical sex ratio (
p> 0.05). In crab
Callinectes amnicola, the size at first sexual maturity of females was lower than that of males whereas in
Cardisoma armatum, males had a size at first sexual maturity inferior to females. The size at the first capture of
Callinectes amnicola crab (4.60 cm) was greater than that of the
Cardisoma armatum crab (4.41 cm). In both crab species, first-catch sizes were all smaller than first maturity sizes. The growth coefficient and the growth performance index in the crab
Cardisoma armatum were superior to those of the crab
Callinectes amnicola. The total mortality, natural mortality, and fishing mortality were higher in crab
Cardisoma armatum than in crab
Callinectes amnicola. In the complex Nokoué lake Porto-Novo lagoon in South Benin, crabs
Callinectes amnicola and
Cardisoma armatum are overexploited.
Pages: 195-201 | 1576 Views 370 DownloadsDownload Full Article: Click Here
How to cite this article:
Appolinaire Goussanou, Gabriel Assouan Bonou, Antoine Chikou, Guy Apollinaire Mensah, Issaka Youssao Abdou Karim. Sizes at first sexual maturity and capture and demographic parameters of crabs Callinectes amnicola and Cardisoma armatum in the complex Nokoué Lake Porto-Novo lagoon in South Benin. Int J Fish Aquat Stud 2018;6(1):195-201.