Study on Feeding and Spawning Behavior of Otolithes ruber (Croaker Fish) in Sistan & Baluchestan (Chahbahar) Coasts in 1995, Iran

Otolithes luber is one of the valuable commercial fishes in thc South coasts of Iran and has been classified at the top level of commercial categorisation, so owing to its economic importance, its biological charactristics were studied in Sistan & Baluchestan coasts in 1995. Three landing called Pozm, Bris and Remin were choosen for commercial catch sampling in this respect and I I I male fish and 149 female ones were outopside within 7 months 01' evaluation. In feeding evaluation through numerical method, Squilla with 42.8% and Engraulidae with 1.4% consisted maximum and minimum percent of male fish stomach contents, respectively, and for female maximum and Illiniruum percent of stomach contents were unidentified bony fishes with 35.7% and polynemidae family with 7%. The results showed that male fishes mature prior tofemales as they are smaller than females and no importante difference was  seen in sexual ratios in various month except March. Spawning was from December to the end of April and an outstanding spawning surge was observed from March to April. However, there was a light surge in November. The least coefficients of fatness in terms of male and female were 0.9 and 1 in April respectively and the most ones were 1.33 for male and 1.20 for female in Januray.