Abstract
This investigation characterized the relationship between percentage occurrences of three size classes of Hilsa juveniles (3–5, 5.1–10, and 10.1–15 cm) and six biogeochemical parameters (water temperature, chlorophyll-a, turbidity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and pH) in the lower part of the tidal riverine to the entire estuarine stretch of Hooghly. These relationships helped us determine the ranges of each biogeochemical parameter for different suitability criteria in three seasons, pre-monsoon (February–May), monsoon (June–September), and post-monsoon (October–January). Salinity had the highest weight (0.37–0.39) followed by chlorophyll-a (0.26–0.30) and turbidity (0.12–0.20). The geospatial data of the biogeochemical parameters were interpolated followed by reclassification with the suitability ranges, separately for each season. These reclassified data were integrated into GIS-based modeling by a multi-criteria decision-making technique (analytical hierarchy process) to generate the habitat suitability maps of juvenile Hilsa. The model-derived information was verified with the indigenous knowledge of the fishers regarding the suitable habitat of juvenile Hilsa by conducting group discussions at 13 locations along the entire study area. The degree of agreement/disagreement between the model and the field information was determined by measuring Kendall’s tau (0.81–0.96) and Kappa coefficients (0.77–0.86), which indicated a strong agreement. In total, 3.80%, 10.12%, and 31.08% of the total river-estuarine area considered for the present study were identified as highly suitable for juvenile Hilsa during pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. This mapping can act as baseline information for the policymakers for sustainable Hilsa fishing keeping in view the livelihood of fishers.
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Funding
The authors received funding from The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India for the project (Sanction Order No. INCOIS:F&A:XII:A1:031, Dt.10.04.2013) entitled “Bio-optical studies and ecological modeling in case-II water of West Bengal coast towards Hilsa fishery forecast”. This is INCOIS contribution number 430.
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All the authors contributed significantly during the present work. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Sandip Giri, Abhra Chanda, Partho Protim Mondal, Sourav Samanta, Kunal Chakraborty, and Sourav Maity. The first draft was written by Sandip Giri and Abhra Chanda. Sugata Hazra critically reviewed the results and discussion before the finalization of the manuscript. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The juvenile fish samples used in this study were not intentionally collected for experimental purposes. When fishermen operate the net targeting some other fishes, Hilsa juveniles become part of their catch as the bycatch. Those samples were used for the present study. There was no involvement of human beings as the subject of this research and hence there is no question of sharing any private or personal information without informing the persons concerned. We also declare that all the authors have strictly complied with the authorship principles furnished by the journal.
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Giri, S., Chanda, A., Mondal, P.P. et al. Role of biogeochemical parameters in delineating suitable habitats of juvenile Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) within an estuary. Environ Biol Fish 104, 1057–1072 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01134-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01134-3