Abstract:
Comparisons were made on the length-weight relationships, fecundity and egg diameter distribution of
yolked ova in mature ovaries of pond cultured female common carp with those collected during the same
period from the Victoria reservoir. Irrespective of the location, the condition factor of gravid females was
within the range 1.6-2.0. However, the average body condition of ripe females from the reservoir was better
than those from the pond. Yolked ova in ripe (stage vi) ovaries had a diameter between 0.85 to 1.70 mm. The
single mode indicates that the ova ripen simultaneously and are shed in a single batch. Fecundity is linearly
related to body and gonad weight, and curvilinearly to body length. Fecundity of pond cultured females
ranged from 15,734 to 65,642 with length varying from 18.5 to 31.9 cm while in the reservoir, gravid females
with a length of 30.8 to 46.0 cm had a fecundity between 49,070 and 240,100. Irrespective of the location,
the fecundity of females within the same length group were within the same range. The presence of larger
sized females with a correspondingly high fecundity and good body condition which produce heavily
yolked eggs indicated that under the prevailing conditions, there is potential for the establishment of a
common carp based fishery in large, deep reservoirs like the Victoria. Development of pond culture to restock
heavily depleted reservoirs with fingerlings is therefore feasible.
