Life history traits of the striped seabream Lithognathus mormyrus (Pisces, Sparidae) from two coastal fishing grounds in the Strait of Sicily

Abstract

Striped seabream Lithognathus mormyrus [n = 1269; total lengths (TLs) = 112-350 mm] were investigated in two coastal Sicilian fishing grounds (central Mediterranean Sea). Samples were collected from the two landing harbours, Licata and Selinunte, between October 1999 and September 2000. Seasonal and spatial variations in population structure, age, growth, reproduction and mortality were studied. It was found that seasonal differences in the main modes of lengthfrequency distributions corresponded well with the seasonal growth. The recruits in Licata grew faster and attained a larger size (by 10-20 mm) at ages up to 2 years than in Selinunte. Growth thereafter was relatively slow, with Selinunte specimens growing at a slightly faster rate. Spawning occurred between June and August. Length at the first maturity was different between females and males in the Selinunte (190-181 mm) and Licata (183-171 mm) fishing grounds. The species displayed protandrous hermaphroditism, and somatic growth practically ceased during the period of sex inversion. Total fishing mortality was considerably higher in Licata (F between 0.53 and 0.63 per year) than in Selinunte (F between 0.22 and 0.29 per year). Therefore it is suggested that the striped seabream population in Licata is more vulnerable to overfishing than that in Selinunte.

Sex ratio, reproduction, and growth of the gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata (Pisces: Sparidae), in the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia

“…Exploitation and expression of this type of hermaphroditism appear to be a response to a suite of environmental and biological factors (Sadovy de Mitcheson and Liu 2008). Such sex inversion, which is the change from one sex to another in a single individual, is a very common phenomenon in the family Sparidae (Buxton and Garratt 1990, Micale and Perdichizzi 1994, Vitale et al 2011.…”

“…parecen ser una respuesta a varios factores ambientales y biológicos (Sadovy de Mitcheson y Liu 2008). Tal inversión sexual (i.e., el cambio de un sexo a otro en el mismo individuo) es un fenómeno común en la familia Sparidae (Buxton y Garratt 1990, Micale y Perdichizzi 1994, Vitale et al 2011.…”

Spatial variation in demography of an estuarine teleost: implications for population and fishery assessments

“…Spatial variability in age-based demographic parameters of other exploited Sparidae is common (Vitale et al 2011, Benchalel & Kara 2013, with the observed variability in the derived demographic parameters of A. australis generally being greater among estuaries than among years within each estuary. Nevertheless, a greater time series of data is required to determine whether the patterns presented here persist temporally and represent a stable state and the natural condition of populations of A. australis in each estuary.…”

“…The Sparidae is a diverse family of fish exploited in fisheries in tropical and temperate waters worldwide (Gonçalves et al 2003, Grandcourt et al 2004, Pajuelo & Lorenzo 2004, Vitale et al 2011. A. australis occupies various habitats in estuaries and coastal waters across 20 degrees of latitude (19−30°S; 2200 km) along the east coast of Australia (Kailola et al 1993, Gray et al 1996, Kingsford 2002.…”

Age and growth of the striped seabream, Lithognathus mormyrus (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Sparidae), in the central coast of Algeria, Mediterranean Sea

“…In the Thracian Sea, the maximum observed age was 11 years (Kallianiotis et al 2005). In the striped seabream studies of Lorenzo et al (2002) and Vitale et al (2011), the oldest fish observed in the waters of the Canary Islands (eastern central Atlantic) and in the Strait of Sicily were 10 years old. On the other hand, Emre et al (2010) noted that the oldest fish observed in the Beymelek Lagoon represented the age of 4 years.…”