CONDITION COEFFICIENT
condition coefficient: translation
a figure calculated from length and weight which expresses the plumpness or fatness of a fish or the changes in the food reserves stored in muscle. The condition factor (K) is the ratio of the weight of the fish (without the gonads) to the cube of its length (K
W/L3, where w
weight in grams less the weight of the gonads and L
standard length in mm).A coefficient factor (C) can similarly be calculated using the English system with total length in inches and weight in pounds. Conversion from C to K may be made using the formula C
36.1 r3k where
the ratio of standard length to total length. Low K values indicate a fish in poor condition while fish at sexual maturity will typically have a high K. Also called condition factor, condition index and coefficient of condition