Fish Biology and Fisheries - Lecture Notes

Fish Biology: A significant area within Zoology.
Fishery Science: A multidisciplinary field drawing from various scientific disciplines.
"A Textbook of Fish Biology and Fisheries": Updated version of "An Introduction to Fishes" by Dr. S.S. Khanna (1970).
The earlier book included fish diseases and fish culture technology; revised editions were published from 1978.
This book addresses the unavailability of the older text; it was first published in 2002.
It comprehensively addresses fish biology and conservation, as well as fishery science, fish culture, capture techniques, and recent advancements.
The book is designed for B.Sc. (Hons.), B.F.Sc., M.F.Sc., and M.Sc. Zoology students (specializing in fish and fisheries).
It includes multiple-choice questions tailored to the UGC's new format, making it useful for competitive exam preparation.

Copyright is held by the authors and publisher in Delhi, India (2015).
Reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Disclaimer regarding information accuracy; authors/publisher are not liable for errors, though they will correct identified issues.
Previous Editions and Reprints:
- 1st Edition: 2002
- Reprint: 2005, 2006
- Revised 2nd Edition: 2009
- Reprint: 2013
- 3rd Edition: 2015

Fishes are a diverse group of vertebrates dating back to the Devonian period (400 million years ago).
They inhabit various aquatic environments (seas, rivers, lakes, etc.) and exhibit a wide range of adaptations.
Ichthyology: The study of fish (ichthys = fish, logos = study).
Fishery: Includes fish culture, capture, hydrobiology, limnology, aquaculture, pollution management, and conservation.
Definition of 'fish' in the book: Aquatic animals with a backbone, gills, and fins.
Economic importance of fish: Food source, liver oil, fish meal, manure, and isin glass.

Cold-blooded vertebrates with streamlined or snake-like/flattened bodies.
Gills are respiratory organs.
Paired (pectorals and pelvics) and unpaired fins (dorsal and ventral fins) with fin rays for locomotion.
Scales cover the body (except in naked species).
Notochord partially replaced by cartilaginous or bony vertebrae.
Paired visceral arches, with the first pair forming jaws, second the suspensorium, and remaining five supporting gills.
Cartilaginous or bony endoskeleton.
Absent middle ear.
Mesonephric kidney in adults.
Well-developed lateral line sense organs.
Heart with one auricle and one ventricle (venous type) pumping blood to gills.
Ten pairs of cranial nerves.

Earlier schemes based on morphological characters.
Later classifications included fossil forms and cladistic principles.
Key authors: Berg (1940), Romer (1959), Bertin and Arambourg (1958), Greenwood et al. (1966), Lauder and Liem (1983), Nelson (1984), and Pough et al. (1989).

Based on works of C. Tate Regan and E.A. Stensio.
Includes all Gnathostomes with gills and fins in Series Pisces.
Divides Pisces into seven classes: Acanthodii, Coccostei, Pterychthyes, Elasmobranchii, Holocephali, Dipnoi, and Teleostomi.
First three groups are extinct Placoderms.
Berg abolished Chondrostei, Holostei, and Teleostei as distinct groups, integrating them into a series of orders within Actinopterygii.

Combines Elasmobranchii and Holocephali into Chondrichthyes.
Includes all bony fishes in Osteichthyes (Dipnoi and Teleostomi of Berg).
Divides Osteichthyes into two sub-classes:
- Sarcopterygii (Crossopterygii and Dipnoi): Fishes with lobate paired fins.
- Actinopterygii: Bony fishes without lobate fins.

Proposed by Greenwood et al. (1966), modified by Nelson (1984) and Pough et al. (1989).
Recognizes Clupeomorpha as a separate group with independent status equal to other three divisions.
Teleostean fishes divided into four Infra divisions.
The Infra-divisions:
- Osteoglossomorpha: Comprising osteoglossiformes and Mormyriformes (African electric fishes) e.g., Notopterus, Mormyrus.
- Elopomorpha: Comprising Elopiformes, Anguilliformes (true eels), Notacanthiformes (Spiny.eels). e.g., Elops, Anguilla, Notacanthus
- Clupeomorpha: Includes Clupeiformes, the highly specialised plankton feeders e.g. Clupea, Engraulis, Chirocentrus, Hilsa.
- Euteleostei: The true teleosts divided into five super orders:
  - (a) Protacanthopterygii e.g., Salmo. Esox..
  - (b) Ostariophysi e.g., Labeo, Mystus.
  - (c) Paracanthopterygii e.g., Gadus. Lophius.
  - (d) Acanthopterygii e.g., Mugil, Perea.
Euteleostei includes Ostariophysi (lower forms), Protacanthopterygii (salmons and esocids), Paracanthopterygii (cods and angler fishes), Scopelomorpha (deep-sea lantern fishes), and Acanthopterygii (spiny rayed fishes).