Density, Biomass And Distribution Of Alpheus Macellarius (Chace, 1988) In Clarin, Bohol

Alpheus macellarius, locally known as “takla”, is slowly making a round in the fishery industry, as it commands a very good price in the market. Collection of this species is common in the municipality of Clarin, Bohol, where there are six (6) coastal barangays, including Nahawan and Tangaran where collectors frequently visit for collection. The six month collection period started in December 2016 and commenced in May 2017. Three random 25 x 2m radial transects were laid in each sampling site. Density was computed as a number of individuals per m2 and biomass, on the other hand, was computed as grams per m2. Morisita's Index was used for determining distribution. Density and biomass are higher in Tangaran than Nahawan and yielded a significant difference, using two-way factorial ANOVA, in between barangay and within months. The interaction was also found out in between sites and months. Aggregate distribution was observed in Barangay Tangaran while A. macellarius is distributed aggregately and randomly in Nahawan. Since A. macellarius are burrowing organisms and can be influenced by different environmental conditions, organic matter of sediment and gut content analysis of the organism may be taken into consideration for future studies, the municipal ordinance may be drafted for regulation purposes and another study of at least 1 year and finally