Leaner, JJ2024-01-292024-10-302024-01-292024-10-301995https://hdl.handle.net/10566/16768Magister Artium - MAEpipelagic fish species form an integral component of the world's supply of protein. The most abundant of these fish belong to the order Clupeiformes (clupeoids) which include sardine, pilchard, sardinella, sprat, and herring. This multi-species group has been estimated to have contributed up to 20% of the world's marine catch in the 1980's (Armstrong and Thomas, 1989). The economic importance of the clupeoids was not only realized by the world's commercial pelagic fishing industry, but the energy was soon directed into experimental research on the multi-species group, both locally and internationally.encondition factorsomatic condition factorhepatosomatic indexUWC