Length-weight relationships of five freshwater fish species from the tropical Wainganga river, a tributary of the largest peninsular Godavari river, Maharashtra, India

This study examined the length-weight relationships (LWRs) of 569 fish specimens belonging to 3 families, 5 genera, and 5 species (Amblypharyngodon mola, Mystus cavasius, Osteobrama vigorsii, Salmostoma bacaila, and Mastacembelus armatus) collectede from the Wainganga River, Maharashtra, India. Fish were caught using gill nets and drag nets with mesh sizes of 25-30 mm and 5-10 mm, respectively. Sampling was conducted during the southwest monsoon season from June 2022 to September 2022. The b values varied between 2.10 (S. bacaila) and 2.72 (M. cavasius). The coefficient of determination (r2) for all species ranged from 0.880 to 0.947. The goal of this study was to compare the length-weight relationships (LWRs) of five freshwater fish species in the Wainganga River to those in other altered Indian rivers, using them as baseline data. These findings are significant for managing and conserving these species and provide crucial data for the first time in this region.