GROWTH IN HERD FORM AND FOOD SPECTRUM OF REEVE’S CROAKER Chrysochir aureus (Richardson, 1846)

A study on growth and food spectrum of Reeve’s croaker was carried out from June 2021 to January 2022 in the coastal areas from Soc Trang to Bac Lieu provinces. Fish samples were collected monthly by bottom trawl.Fish stomachs were fixed in a 4% formol solution to prevent feed items from being digested in the stomach. The analysis of 198 male and 215 female samples showed that the total length (L) and body weight (W) of the fish had a regression relationship according to the equations Wmale = 0.0064L3;1425 and R2= 0.9735 (totallength ranged 14.0 – 40.0 cm) and Wfemale = 0.00463:2425 and R2 = 0.9504 (total length ranged 13.5 – 41.0 cm). The relative length of the gut (RLG) < 1 (RLG = 0.08 ± 0.02 cm in immature fish and RLG = 0.08 ± 0.04 cm in mature fish),indicated that Reeve’s croaker was a carnivorous fish. Many individuals in the population haveno food in their stomachs. The immature fish eat three types of food (small fish, shrimp and other food) while mature fish eat six types of food (small fish, shrimp, squids, crabs, nereid and other food). The feed spectrum of immature fish was narrower than that of mature fish.