Growth patterns and age determination of Piked Dogfish from Romanian Black Sea waters: Insights from spines analysis

Abstract

Understanding the growth patterns and the age composition of Squalus acanthias (piked dogfish) populations, from Romanian marine area, helps to elaborate sustainable fisheries management practices because changes in population parameters could indicate shifts in prey availability, habitat quality issues, or fishing pressure. In recent years, the official catches on the Romanian coast, of this economically valuable species in the entire Black Sea basin, have remained below one ton. Regarding the growth patterns, a slight increase in the average length value was observed, from 107,85 cm in 2022 to 116,88 cm in 2023. For age determination the method of analyzing the dorsal spines was used, considered the most appropriate. Thus, in 2022 mature specimens (19 years old) predominated, and in 2023, younger specimens (14 years old), but completely mature from a reproductive point of view, predominated. Analyzing age structure over time is important for predicting future population trends and implementing conservation measures as needed.