Global Journal of Agricultural Research and Reviews
ISSN: 2437-1858 Vol. 3 (3), pp. 151-157, June, 2015.
© Global Science Research Journals
http://www.globalscienceresearchjournals.org/
Full Length research Paper
Some aspects of reproductive biology of the common
carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758) in Lake Ziway,
Ethiopia
Lemma Abera1*, Abebe Getahun2 and Brook Lemma2
1
Ziway Fishery Resource Research Center, P.O.Box 229, Ziway, Ethiopia.
Departments of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2
Accepted 3 June, 2015
Abstract
Studies were made on the breeding season, maturation and fecundity of the Common carp, Cyprinus
carpio (L., 1758) in Lake Ziway from January 2003 to December 2014. C. carpio has an extended
breeding period but intensive breeding takes place between February and May on the nursery grounds
around the shore of the lake. On the other hand, most of the fishing gears employed operated from the
shore area where mostly very small and spawning fish are found. The sizes at first maturity (L 50) of
males were 27cm FL (fork length) while for females it was 28.7 cm FL. The total number of eggs in the
ovaries ranged from 75,645 and 356,743 with a mean of 210,538 and C. carpio in Lake Ziway conforms to
the general patterns of the relationship between fecundity and length and weight of many tropical fish
species. Based on these and related data it is suggested that fishing gears be regulated to safeguard
C.carpio stocks for sustainable exploitation
Keywords: Breeding season, Cyprinus carpio, fecundity, Lake Ziway, size at first maturity.
INTRODUCTION
The Common carp, Cyprinus carpio (L., 1758) is a
freshwater cyprinid fish that is widely distributed in the
world (Vostradovisky, 1973; Economids, 1991; Kottelat,
1997). Since the fish is a fast growing and hardy that can
withstand adverse environmental conditions, it has been
successfully introduced into fresh waters throughout the
world (Welcomme, 1988; Seegers et al., 2003). It occurs
in shallow ponds, lakes rich in vegetation and slow
moving rivers (Vostradovisky, 1973). The fish are
generally considered to be one of the most ecologically
detrimental of all freshwater invasive fish species
(Crivelli, 1983; Zambrano et al., 2001; Dean, 2003;
Koehn, 2003). Their ability to reach high biomass and
their feeding behavior have been implicated in causing
major environmental degradation in many freshwater
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]
ecosystems (Crivelli, 1983; Roberts et al., 1995;
Zambrano et al., 1999; Barton et al., 2000; Zambrano et
al., 2001).Cyprinus carpio was introduced into Lake
Ziway in the late 1980’s by fishery experts of the Ministry
of Agriculture, Addis Ababa with the intention of
increasing fish production by introducing a macrophyte
feeder into the system where the niche was not occupied
by any of the indigenous fish (FAO, 1997). At present C.
carpio is one of the most commercially important fish
species that often forms the basis of commercial fisheries
and the most desired fish species by the local community
among the commercially exploited fish species in the lake
(Lemma Abera et al., 2015). Mathewos Hailu,(2013)
suggests that the ecological impact of such an
introduction could be undesirable because the species is
known to be a potential pest in many countries for which
data are available.
Various workers have studied the reproductive biology
of C. carpio in some European and Asian water bodies
Glob. J. Agric. Res. Rev.
152
Figure 1: The Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes and map of Lake Ziway
(Vestradovsky, 1973; Laurila et al., 1987) and very little
work has been done in Ethiopia, like some reproductive
aspects of the fish in Amerti (Mathewos Hailu, 2013).
Therefore, scientific knowledge about this fish is required
for rational exploitation and management of the resource.
Nevertheless, very little is known about this fish species
in Ethiopia and virtually nothing is known about the
population in Lake Ziway. Thus, in an attempt to fill this
knowledge gap, and hence a study was conducted on
some
biometric
measurements
(length-weight
relationship, condition factor and sex ratio) following the
methods used by Lemma Abera et al., 2015. The present
contribution of this paper is to investigate some aspects
of the reproductive biology (breeding season, size at first
maturity and fecundity) of the fish in the lake with the aim
of providing preliminary necessary scientific information
for proper utilization and management of the stock.
METHODOLOGY
Lake Ziway: The Lake is found in the Ethiopian part of
the Great East African Rift Valley. It has an open water
area of 434 km2, average depth of 2.5 m, and an
elevation of 1636 m.a.s.l. (Wood and Talling, 1988). The
0
0
Ziway watershed falls in between 7 54’N to 8 55’N
0
0
latitude and 38 14E to 38 56’E longitude covering a total
area of about 7300 km2 (Figure 1). It is fed with two main
rivers, Meki from the north-west and Katar from the east
flowing into the lake and it has an outflow through Bulbula
River, draining into Lake Abijata (Figure 1).
The mean monthly minimum air temperature in the
region ranged from 11.2-13.5oC while the maximum
ranged from 21.6-31.5oC. Monthly total rainfall in the
region ranged from 2.1 mm to 249.5 mm. As reported by
others (Daniel Gamachu, 1977; Amare Mazengia, 2008;
Elias Dadebo and Daba Tugie, 2009; Adamneh Dagne,
2010; Girum Tamire and Seyoum Mengistou, 2012 and
Lemma Abera et al., 2015) in the same lake, the area is
characterized by two peak rainy seasons in a year:
mostly February to April (little rains) and June to
September (heavy rains). The present meteorological
data also show comparable trend.
There are six indigenous fish species in the lake
comprising Barbus ethiopicus, Barbus paludinosus,
Labeobarbus intermedius, Garra makiensis, Garra
dembecha and Oreochromis niloticus (Golubtsov et al.,
2002; Eshete Dejen et al., 2010). Of these Barbus
ethiopicus and Garra makiensis are reported as endemic
to the lake (Golubtsov et al., 2002). The lake also harbors
five exotic fish species (Tilapia zillii, Cyprinus carpio,
Carassius carassius and Carassius auratus) which were
introduced to enhance its production and Clarias
gariepinus that slipped into the lake accidentally
(Golubtsov et al., 2002). Cyprinus carpio was introduced
into the lake with the intention of increasing fish
production by introducing a macrophyte feeder into the
system where the niche was not occupied by any of the
indigenous fish (FAO, 1997).
Sample Collection and Measurements
Samples of C. carpio were collected monthly between
January and December, 2013 for the assessment of
reproductive biology of the fish. Sampling sites were
selected based on geographical proximity and/or habitat
Abera et al.
153
Figure 2: Seasonal variation in Gonado-somatic index (GSI) of female () and male (♦) C. carpio from
Lake Ziway (January - December 2013)
similarity (river mouths, neighboring floodplains, depth
and distance to shore). In each sampling site fishing was
conducted using gill nets having different mesh sizes (6
cm, 8 cm, 10 cm, 12 cm and 14 cm stretched mesh). The
gear was set parallel to the shoreline in the afternoon
(05:00 pm) and lifted in the following morning (7.00 am).
Immediately after capture, the fish were serially tagged;
the total length (TL), fork length (FL) and total weight
(TW) of each specimen were measured to the nearest
0.1 cm and 0.1g, respectively. Each specimen was then
dissected and its sex determined by inspecting the
gonads.
Determination of Breeding Season
The breeding season of C. carpio was determined from
monthly frequency of fish with ripe gonads and gonadosomatic index (GSI). The GSI for each fish was computed
as the weight of the gonads as the percentage of total
body weight as follows:
GSI = (GW/TW - GW) X 100
Where, GSI = Gonado-somatic index
GW = Gonad weight in g.
TW = Total weight in g.
Estimation of Length at Maturity
The number of female and male C. carpio caught was
recorded for each sampling occasion. The average length
at first maturity (L50) has been defined as the length at
which 50 % of the individuals in a given length classe
reach maturity (Willoughby and Tweddel, 1978). Thus,
after classifying data by length class, the percentages of
male and female C. carpio with mature gonads were
plotted against length to estimate L50 (Tweddle and
Turner, 1977).
Fecundity Estimation
The fecundity of ripe gonads preserved in Gilson’s fluid
was estimated gravimetrically (Simpson, 1959). The size
of the fish ranged from 32 cm to 46 cm fork length, and
their weight was between 600 g to 2270 g. To estimate
fecundity the preservative was replaced with water, and
the eggs were washed repeatedly, decanting the
supernatant. The fecundity estimate was then obtained
by weighing the entire eggs, and two sub-samples of
1000 eggs, each of which were all similarly dried. The
eggs were counted and weighed using a sensitive
balance. The total number was computed using the
following ratio:
N/n = W/w
Where, N = Unknown total number of eggs
n = Number counted in sub sample (1000)
W = Weight of all eggs (g)
w = Weight of the sub sample (g)
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Breeding Season
Monthly variation in Gonado-somatic Index (GSI) of both
males and female C. carpio was evident (Figure 2). GSI
values of females ranged from 13.97 (January) to 17.01
(April) and that of males ranged from 2.5 (December) to
6.02 (May) (Figure 2). GSI values of the males increased
from January (2013) to the highest value in May (2013)
then decreased towards December (Figure 2). Also GSI
values of the females increased from the lowest value in
January to the highest in April (2013) and then decreased
towards December as the same trends as of females
(Figure 2).
Glob. J. Agric. Res. Rev.
154
Figure 3: The breeding season of C. carpio in Lake Ziway (January - December 2013)
Figure 4: The proportion in different length groups of mature females (a) and males (b) of C. carpio from Lake Ziway
The frequency of ripe female and male C.carpio ranged
from 2-19% and 2-20%, respectively, with high frequency
occurring between April and May (Figure 3). The variation
in GSI values was also reflected in monthly variation in
the frequency of fish with ripe gonads (Figure 2 and 3).
Hence, lowest frequency of ripe fishes was recorded at
times of lowest GSI values (Figure 3). The result
suggests that, while some fish in breeding condition may
be present throughout the year; their proportion was
lower than in the main breeding season and intensive
breeding takes place in between February and May
(Figure 3).
Several environmental factors could be responsible for
the high breeding activity of C. carpio in Lake Ziway
during the months of February to May. The beginning of
the rainy season, subtle change in temperature, rise in
water level and the subsequent lowering of water
conductivity were implicated as the triggering factors for
spawning of many tropical fish species (Rinne, 1975;
Dadzie and Okach, 1989; Elias Dadebo, 2000; Mathewos
Hailu, 2013).
Length at Maturity
Common carp attains first maturity at different age and
size in various parts of the world, for instance, in Central
Europe (Schaeperclaus, 1933), in Japan (Matsui, 1957),
in Israel (Sarig, 1966) and the condition is thus
comparable to that in Ethiopia. The smallest male found
with ripe gonads was 16 cm FL and weighed 95 g while
the smallest female in breeding condition was 17 FL and
weighed 100 g. The 50% maturity length (L50) was
estimated to be 28.7 cm FL for females and 27 cm FL for
males (Figure 4). The result of this study, in the sizes at
Abera et al.
155
Figure 5: Relationship between fecundity and fork length of C. carpio in Lake Ziway
Figure 6: Relationship between fecundity and total weight of C. carpio in Lake Ziway
50% maturity of C. carpio, were comparable to the tropical
water bodies in Ameti (Mathewos Hailu, 2013) while, lower
than that of Lake Naivasha where it has a total length 34
cm for males and 42 cm for females (Britton et al., 2007).
This may be related to the preparation of females to sustain
large number of eggs and also due to the difference in
fisheries activity. For instance, in Lake George (Uganda)
size at maturity of tilapia (O. niloticus) was lowered following
years of intensive fishing activity (Gwahaba, 1973).
On the average, males appeared to attain sexual
maturity at a relatively smaller size than females. In Asia
and Far East, also Common carp was found to attain
maturity in ponds when six to eight months old, the males
about two months earlier than the females and at a
relatively small size (Alikunhi, 1966). Males attaining
maturity at a smaller size than females are also reported
in both temperate and tropical aquatic ecosystems
(Britton et al., 2007; Tempero et al., 2006).
Fecundity Estimation
Fecundity was estimated for 93 ripe females whose fork
lengths and total weights ranged from 32 cm to 46 cm
and 600 g to 2270 g, respectively. The estimated
absolute fecundity ranged from 75,645 and 356,743 with
a mean of 210,538, which was slightly higher than the
same species in Amerti, 170,937 oocytes (Matheows
Hailu, 2013) and 114,000 oocytes in Iran (Yousewfian,
2011), while lower than New Zealand (Tempero et al.,
2006) which accounts 299, 000 oocytes.
High fecundity of C. carpio in L. Ziway could be due to
its high body condition and growth as compared to the
species in Amert Reservoir, which in turn is a reflection of
high favorable biotic and abiotic factors (Lemma Abera et
al., 2015). Fish in poor body condition are reported to
have less fecundity than those in better condition (LoweMcConnell, 1959).
The relationship between fecundity with fork length,
total weight and gonad weight were described in Figures
5, 6 and 7. The fecundity showed an increase with the
increase in size of the fish and ovary weight (Figures 5, 6
and 7).
Fecundity increased in proportion to 4.16 power of the
length and 0.98 power of the weight (Figure 5 and 6). In
many tropical freshwater fish species, fecundity is increased in
proportion to 2.81-3.96 power of total length (Lowe-McConnell,
Glob. J. Agric. Res. Rev.
156
Figure 7: Relationship between fecundity and Gonad weight of C. carpio in Lake Ziway
1975). Bagenal and Braum (1978) reported that the value
of b (slope of the fitted line) is about 3 when fecundity is
related to the length and about 1 when it is related to
weight. In reality, however, C. carpio in Lake Ziway
conforms to the general pattern of relationship of
fecundity to length and weight of many tropical fish
species, there is variability that other factors may also be
involved in affecting fecundity, in addition to
morphometric measurements of fish, such as availability
of food and egg size.
In summary, C. carpio conforms to the general pattern
of breeding in tropical environment where relatively
higher proportions of fish were in breeding condition
during the early rains. Low conductivity of the water and
changes in temperature may be implicated as possible
factors affecting reproductive activities of the fish. Hence,
experimental studies are needed to identify the
comparative importance of these factors as reproductive
signals. Prior to the start of this study there was very little
catch of C. carpio as compared to other commercially
important fish species (Lemma Abera et al., 2014). Then
afterwards the catch has increased and is now
comparable to the other commercially important species
in the lake. This may be because of the fact that fishing
by the local population has intensified or any other factors
that need to be identified. In any case, large number of
small sized fish was being exploited (personal
observations). While development of the fishery is
possible, proper management actions are required to
protect the immature fish. Particularly, capture size of the
stock should be determined taking into consideration the
size at first maturity of females, which is 28.7 cm FL.
Therefore, the fishery management plan such as
prohibiting fishing on spawning ground during the
breeding season is needed for the lake before the fishery
resource is overexploited. In addition to the studies
mentioned above, stock assessment study of the fish is
strongly recommended to estimate optimum fishing level
and sustainable yield, since the stocks have become
abundant in the lake very recently and it is currently
commercially important around the area.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This study was supported by fund from Addis Ababa
University, Water Resources Management and
Sustainable Use in the Ethiopian Rift valley region
Thematic Research Project and Oromia Agricultural
Research Institute. We are highly indebted to Ziway
Fishery Research Center for facilitating the field work.
The authors are also most thankful to Microbiology
Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and
Agriculture of Addis Ababa University for allowing us to
perform dissections of the fish in the laboratory and
cooperation on the laboratory work as well as office
arrangement and internet service during the write up.
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