Predicting standing crop using lagged fingerling density of freshwater fish in the Na Thap River of southern Thailand

Abstract

This study aimed to develop statistical models for predicting fish standing crop in weight of specific freshwater fish based on fish fingerling density six months earlier. The monthly data in Na Thap river of southern Thailand, were collected between June 2005 and December 2010. Standing crop in weight for each native species varied with fingerling density 6 months previously. The trends of the fish standing crop in weights and fish fingerling densities depend on seasonal patterns of the area. Five freshwater fish species of this study were found to have a statistically significant relation between standing crop and fingerling density 6 months earlier. This finding reconfirmed that the linear regression method can be used as a tool for fish standing crop prediction and can then be applied for rehabilitating fish productivity and generally enhancing aquatic ecosystems.

Keywords

• inland fisheries assessment
• river fish enhancement
• time series model
• standing crop prediction