Biology of Indian white shrimp, Penaeus indicus H. MILNE EDWARDS (Decapoda, Penaeidae) in the Gulf of Masira, Sultanate of Oman

Biological investigation on Penaeus indicus in the Gulf of Masira was carried out from September 1990 to March 1992. The study area is a sheltered bay within the Gulf of Masira which supports the major artisanal shrimp fishery in the Sultanate of Oman. Morphometric relationships, sex distribution, size at maturity and fecundity abundance were determined. Females grew to a larger size of 53.7 mm carapace length (CL) than the males (46.2 mm CL). Morphometric relationships between the sexes were highly significant (P <0.005). A drastic fall in the proportion of females during January indicated the probable spawning movement of females to deep waters. The 25, 50 and 75 percent maturity lengths were 38, 40 and 42 mm CL, respectively. The fecundity varied between 212,800 and 460,084 through the size range 41-51 mm CL. The main autumn (September) fishery recruitment arose from the major spawning peak in spring (February and March).