Diet Composition and Feeding Habits of Jarbua Terapon, Terapon jarbua (Forsskål, 1775) from Veraval Fishing Harbour, Gujarat, India
Gautam Bhatti *
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries Science (Kamdhenu University), Veraval–Gujarat, India.
Vanraj M. Chavda
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries Science (Kamdhenu University), Himmatnagar–Gujarat, India.
Princekumar D. Tandel
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries Science (Kamdhenu University), Veraval–Gujarat, India.
Abinesh C.
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries Science (Kamdhenu University), Veraval–Gujarat, India.
Divyesh Bhoya
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries Science (Kamdhenu University), Veraval–Gujarat, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The diet composition and feeding habits of Terapon jarbua (Forsskål, 1775) was investigated along the Veraval fishing harbour of Gujarat, India, over a period from March 2025 to February 2026, excluding June and July 2025 due to the seasonal fishing ban. A total of 300 specimens were collected and analysed to evaluate dietary composition, Index of Relative Importance (IRI), gastro-somatic index and monthly changes in feeding behaviour. Feeding was relatively low during the spawning season (February to May) and became more active during the post-spawning period, especially from August to November. The Gastro-somatic Index (GaSI) showed clear monthly fluctuations, ranging from 1.44 ± 0.47 to 2.18 ± 1.09, reaching its highest value in March, which reflects increased feeding during that month and lower values during April may be associated with reproductive activity. Dietary analysis using the Index of Relative Importance (IRI) revealed that crustaceans were the principal food group (42.43%), followed closely by fishes (39.62%). Digested matter (9.05%) and cephalopods (8.85%) also contributed to the diet, whereas gastropods and miscellaneous items were of minor importance. Among the individual food items, semi-digested crustaceans (34.78%) and semi-digested fish (28.74%) were the most dominant components. These findings demonstrate that T. jarbua is a carnivorous and opportunistic feeder capable of modifying its diet according to seasonal prey availability.
Keywords: Terapon jarbua, feeding biology, GaSI, IRI, food preferences, euryphagous feeder, veraval fishing harbour.