Zeitschrift für Meeresbiologie und Ozeanographie

Food Sources of Bioavailable Organic Compounds (Carbohydrates , Proteins) to Four Different Types of Fishes in Coastal Waters of Visakhapatnam, East Coast of India

BSK Kumar*, DB Rao, MN Krishna and M Rallabhandi

The present study was carried out to understand the possible sources of bio available organic compounds and food sources to the four different fishes at Visakhapatnam coastal waters during monsoon and non-monsoon seasons. This study revealed that presence of high suspended matter (25.2 ± 2 mg/l) and low phytoplankton biomass (Chl-a; 0.6 ± 0.2 mg/m3) during monsoon season and low suspended matter (15.1 ± 1 mg/l) and high Chl-a (2.7 ± 0.6 mg/m3) during non-monsoon season in water column. Total protein (WTPRO) to total carbohydrate (WTCHO) ratios in water column suggesting that presence of freshly produced organic matter during non-monsoon season and terrestrial or modified organic matter during the monsoon season. In addition to this total protein (GTPRO) to total carbohydrate (GTCHO) ratios in four fish guts also showing <1 during monsoon and >1 during non-monsoon seasons suggesting that the major food source during monsoon is terrestrial originated organic matter and during non-monsoon in situ produced organic matter.