Fish composition and food habits in mangrove forests at Phang-Nga bay and ban don bay, Thailand

Abstract

              This study of Mangrove ecosystem of undisturbed and disturbed areas involved sites at Phang-nga and Ban DonBaysrespectively. The number of fish species at Phang-ngaBaywas higher than that of Ban DonBay. There were 40 families, 82 species, collected from Phang-ngaBaywhile 26 families, 50 species were collected from  Ban DonBay. The average fish productivity at Ban DonBayduring dry season (March, 1993) was 0.2758 gm/m². There was only one determination of fish productivity of Phang-nga Bay (February, 1994), the average productivity was 0.2151 gm/m² .

               The eating habit of some fish from both bays were studied. Stomach contents of thirty-two species were examined. Most specimens of fishes were relatively small, in immature stages of life, none of them proved to be strictly herbivorous, eighteen species (56.25%) were carnivorous while thirteen species (40.63%) were considered omnivorous. One eel was found with an empty stomach. Eleven of the thirty-two species were found to have detritus in the stomach content.