Phototaxis in climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) was investigated by subjecting fish to LED light traps (blue, green, yellow, orange, red, white) and control (total 13 traps). The trap was constructed of polyamide (PA) nylon monofilament (31.75 mm mesh size), fastened around two wire ring frames (∅ 490 mm) with a net height of 270 mm. A lamp was placed on the bottom of the trap. 96 individuals, consisting of 34 males and 62 females, were analysed. Both continuous and blinking light traps were considerably higher in the number of catch compared to the control. The body size of catch ranged from 76-135 mm TL and 8.00-55.00 g W. The mean YPUEs (yield per unit effort) for male and female were 4.00 ± 2.25 and 7.00 ± 4.50 g trap−1 trial-1, respectively. The CPUEs (catch per unit effort) for continuous, blinking light traps and the control ranged from 0.43 to 0.93, 0.21 to 0.86, and 0.21 fish trap−1night−1, respectively. The mean condition factor (K) values of 2.10 ± 0.40 for males and 2.13 ± 0.34 for females indicate fish with better condition. Positive group responses of fish were more pronounced in the middle size classes between 90 and 109 mm TL. Negative allometric growth pattern (b) (1.7271-1.8828) was observed, indicating that the culture system should be refined. A. testudineus showed positive phototaxis to the “colors of light”. In addition, efforts to collect climbing perch from the wild for breeding and commercial purposes may benefit from this study.
