Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda (Rang, 1835) in Ghana waters

Pearl Sakyi Djan; Joseph Aggrey Fynn; Najih Lazar

doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190318121213

2021, Vol: 3, Issue: 1

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Original Article

J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. 2021; 3(1): 1-9

doi: 10.5455/jfcom.20190318121213

Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda (Rang, 1835) in Ghana waters

Pearl Sakyi Djan, Joseph Aggrey Fynn, Najih Lazar.

Abstract
Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of the giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda were studied along the coast of Ghana in the Gulf of Guinea. S. hierredda is an economically important species in Ghana, but has backdrop in literature, except the landed catches. For the first time, the giant African cuttlefish habitat and spawning grounds were mapped and growth and mortality parameters were also estimated. In all, a total of 1,299 individuals including 180 males and 118 females were collected for reproductive biology and 1001 unsexed individuals for population parameter analysis. The study covered a period of 10 months, from January to October 2016. S. hierredda in Ghanaian waters attained an asymptotic length of 33.88 cm based on the mean length (20 cm) observed. The growth constant (K) of 0.69 indicated fast growth for the species. The life span was estimated at four years with a growth performance index of 2.89. Females attained first sexual maturity (Lm50) at 17.70 cm and the length at first capture was 16.0 cm. Total mortality (Z) rate was estimated at 2.88 yr-1, natural mortality (M) 1.31yr-1 and fishing mortality (F) 1.57 yr-1. This was evident in the current rate of exploitation (Ecurrent) of 0.56. Hence, the exploitation of cuttlefish has exceeded the sustainable limit in Ghanaian waters. It is therefore recommended that selective gears be designed for sustainable exploitation of the species, to avoid catching undersized fishes.

Key words: Habitat distribution, dorsal mantle length, growth parameters, fishing mortality, exploitation

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Pubmed Style

Djan PS, Fynn JA, Lazar N. Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda (Rang, 1835) in Ghana waters. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. 2021; 3(1): 1-9. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190318121213

Web Style

Djan PS, Fynn JA, Lazar N. Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda (Rang, 1835) in Ghana waters. https://www.jfcomonline.com/?mno=34066 [Access: June 27, 2026]. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190318121213

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Djan PS, Fynn JA, Lazar N. Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda (Rang, 1835) in Ghana waters. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. 2021; 3(1): 1-9. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190318121213

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Djan PS, Fynn JA, Lazar N. Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda (Rang, 1835) in Ghana waters. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt. (2021), [cited June 27, 2026]; 3(1): 1-9. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190318121213

Harvard Style

Djan, P. S., Fynn, . J. A. & Lazar, . N. (2021) Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda (Rang, 1835) in Ghana waters. J. Fish. Coast. Mgt, 3 (1), 1-9. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190318121213

Turabian Style

Djan, Pearl Sakyi, Joseph Aggrey Fynn, and Najih Lazar. 2021. Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda (Rang, 1835) in Ghana waters. Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management, 3 (1), 1-9. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190318121213

Chicago Style

Djan, Pearl Sakyi, Joseph Aggrey Fynn, and Najih Lazar. "Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda (Rang, 1835) in Ghana waters." Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management 3 (2021), 1-9. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190318121213

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Djan, P. S., Fynn, . J. A. & Lazar, . N. (2021) Habitat distribution, growth and mortality of giant African cuttlefish Sepia hierredda (Rang, 1835) in Ghana waters. Journal of Fisheries and Coastal Management, 3 (1), 1-9. doi:10.5455/jfcom.20190318121213


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