Food and feeding habit of Indian major carp Bhakur (Catla catla) from Meeranpur lake, Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh

The growth of a fish is influenced by the quality and quantity of food materials available and consumed. Any variation in quality and quantity of food materials will affect the growth rate of the fish. These variations of natural food materials in a water body are under the influence of several abiotic and biotic factors. The gut content analysis provides the information on food components and feeding habit of fish which is an important aspect for fish culture. In the present study, the qualitative and quantitative analysis of gut content of Indian major carp Catla catla from Meeranpur lake of district Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, were conducted during August 2018 to July 2019. The results on gut content shows that qualitative changes in food component were not found but quantitative changes were observed during the investigation period. In the present study the gut content mainly consists of Crustaceans (33.58%), Rotifers (18.74%), Bacillariophyceae (16.07%), Chlorophyceae (8.84%), Protozoans (6.80%), Myxophyceae (6.12%), Aquatic Insects (4.86%), Aquatic Plant materials (4.59%), and Decayed Organic matter present in negligible amount (0.41%) in Bhakur (Catla catla). The findings suggests that the experimental fish Bhakur (Catla catla) is mainly planktophagus and is more suitable for fresh water rich in planktons. The details have been discussed in this paper.