UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

The study examined the seasonal variations of the proximate composition in various tissues such as fins, gills, muscles, remaining body and whole body of five freshwater fish species: Channa striata, Labeo rohita, Mystus cavasius, Notopterus synurus and Oreochromis mossambicus. The study was conducted from January 2023 to December 2024 across the pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Our study indicated maximum ash content (6.55% ±0.24) in the gills of M. cavasius during the post-monsoon while the minimum (3.7% ±0.36) in the whole body of C. striatain the same season. In the post-monsoon moisture content was maximum (85.88% ±1.13) in the gills of C. striata and minimum (62.98% ±2.94) in the fins of L. rohita. Carbohydrate content was recorded as maximum (8.5 % ±0.54) in the muscles and whole body of L. rohita and M. cavasius during monsoon while the minimum (2.30% ±0.13) was found in the muscles of N. synurus during post-monsoon. The maximum protein content (27.6% ±0.52) was found in the muscles of O. mossambicus during the monsoon and the minimum (8.2% ±0.14) was found in the fins of M. cavasius during pre-monsoon. The maximum lipid content (18.2% ±0.27) was recorded in the muscles of L. rohita during post-monsoon, whereas the minimum (6.2% ±0.14) was found in the gills of O. mossambicus during pre-monsoon. These findings highlight a valuable insight into how seasonal changes affect fish nutrition and also offer a season-specific dietary recommendation that provides a base for optimising fish consumption and improving fisheries management and aquaculture practices.