Biometric Insights and Growth Patterns of the Endangered Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora) Inhabiting the Gobind Sagar Reservoir

The aim of this study is to document the life history parameters of the endangered and widely distributed fish, Tor putitora (Golden Mahseer) in Gobind Sagar Reservoir, Himachal Pradesh toward effective conservation and management. Specimens were collected monthly at the two sites during 18 months (April 2023-September 2024). Biometric characteristics (morphometric and meristic parameters), length-weight relationship, length- length relationship, condition factor and truss networking analysis were evaluated. More than 70% of the species d in the reservoir were planktivores, which clearly indicates that the plankton plays an important role for the successful management of the reservoir with Intra and Interspecies competition among other planktivore fish species and targeted fish species. Mahseer species were significantly declined in this reservoir and reported fish weight varied between 425g and 2710g) and length between 31.9 cm and 63.1 cm (The calculated regression coefficient (b) were 3.162, indicating a positively allometric growth pattern-where body weight increases at a greater rate than length, resulting in a more robust body shape as the fish grows. The condition factor (K) and relative condition factor (Kn) reflected overall good health and growth performance. PCA of the truss network system showed that the first three components-PC1, PC2, and PC3-explained 78.38, 18.38, and 13.03% of the total variance, respectively. The information can provide an extensive knowledge of fish welfare, allowing for the development of a suitable and cost-effective plan to manage and conserve fish populations and biomass. The present findings would be of prime importance for conservation and management of T. putitora in the Himalayan aquatic ecosystems.