Age and growth rates at the early life stages of common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) based on analysis of otolith microstructure

Abstract

We investigated youngof-the-year (YOY) growth, age, and hatching distributions of common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) by analyzing otolith microstructure. This study was carried out in shallow waters (0-20 m) off the island of Gökçeada, Turkey, from June 2013 through June 2014. A total of 231 YOY common pandora were measured and aged. These fish ranged from 12 to 110 mm in total length and from 38 through 242 d in age. The indices for determining variability in daily age estimates (average percentage error and coefficient of variation) were 4.9% and 3.4%, respectively. Average daily growth rate was calculated from a linear regression of the age-length data set as 0.52 mm/d. A linear relationship was found between otolith morphometric measurements (otolith length, width, and radius) and total length for YOY common pandora. The hatching times of common pandora were backcalculated to occur from February through October, and 2 main hatching cohorts were evident in spring (March) and summer (August).