Length–weight relations of ten freshwater fish species (Actinopterygii) from Abashiri River basin, eastern Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

Length–weight relations (LWRs) were estimated for ten freshwater fish species such as gin-buna, Carassius langsdorfii Temminck et Schlegel, 1846; lake minnow, Rhynchocypris percnura (Pallas, 1814); Siberian loach, Barbatula toni (Dybowski, 1869); Japanese smelt, Hypomesus nipponensis McAllister, 1963; masu salmon, Oncorhynchus masou (Brevoort, 1856); rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792); whitespotted char, Salvelinus leucomaenis (Pallas, 1814); ninespine stickleback, Pungitius pungitius (Linnaeus, 1758); hana-kajika, Cottus nozawae Synder, 1911; and a species of goby Rhinogobius sp. Specimens were collected once a month except in the snow season from the Abashiri River basin, eastern Hokkaido, between June 2007 and November 2011. Fishes were captured by an electrofishing device (Smith–Root Inc., Model 12-b). The estimated allometric coefficient b values ranged from 2.790 (ninespine stickleback) to 3.294 (hana-kajika), and r2 values ranged from 0.772 (lake minnow) to 0.994 (goby). All the LWRs were highly significant, with P < 0.001. Besides, the study provides the first estimates of LWRs for the Siberian loach, Japanese smelt, masu salmon, whitespotted char, hana-kajika, and the goby.