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Otolith reveals information on the growth parameters of Pangasius nasutus from Pahang river,
Malaysia

1 Siti Nazurah Mohamad , Rumeaida Mat Piah
* 1

1 Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu,
21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.

* Corresponding author: p4819@pps.umt.edu.my

Abstract:

Studies on growth through determination of fish age are fundamental as it enables us to estimate their
reproduction, recruitment pattern, mortality, longevity and yield production. This study aims to
determine the growth parameters of Pangasius nasutus or locally known as ‘Patin buah’ from Pahang
River, Malaysia by observing the number of opaque zones on the otoliths. A total of 719 specimens
were collected monthly from May 2021 to April 2022. Otolith morphology was described to show its
characteristic. The age determination was done by counting the number of opaque zones of the sectioned
otolith. The age length data was analysed by using Ford-Walfort plot and the data gained were fitted
into non-linear regression analysis in SPSS to obtain the growth parameters. Then, the growth
parameters of Pangasius nasutus were calculated using Von Bertalanffy Growth Function (VBGF). The
length frequency distribution revealed that P. nasutus was dominated by fish with length size of 40 cm
of standard length. The age composition indicated that P. nasutus was mostly comprised of fish of three
years old. The growth parameters and Von Bertalanffy equation were computed as follows;
L∞=50.41cm, K=0.34 year , t0= -0.776. Pangasius nasutus in Pahang River was found to live up to
-1
six years in that river. The finding and information provided by this study will be valuable for better
management and conservation of this species in the future.

Keywords: Pangasius nasutus, otolith, age, growth, Pahang river