Argulosis in Carps with Special Reference to Water Quality Parameters in Low Saline Bheries of West Bengal

Hydrological parameters like dissolve oxygen, pH, turbidity, temperature, alkalinity, free carbon dioxide and salinity which have their direct influence upon the fish health with reference to the occurrence of argulosis in Indian major carps were studied in low saline bheries of West Bengal from March, 2006 to February, 2007. The high organic load which caused the over production of plankton leading to depletion of dissolve oxygen, increasing carbon dioxide to lethal level, high rate of ammonification leading to low alkalinity and fluctuation in temperature aggravates the occurrence of parasitic infection. Most of the parameters were found to be significant at 5% level and few were significant at 1% level. It was found that the above variables had definite impact individually or in combination on the prevalences of argulosis. Out of all the water parameters, temperature, alkalinity, dissolve oxygen and salinity were found to be the deciding factors for incidence of argulosis in low saline bheries of different locations of West Bengal. The prevalence of Argulus was less in October-November and it became epidemic in February-March and gradually declined in April.