Relationships between fish and otolith dimensions of Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766) (Perciformes: Pomatomidae) in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766), was used as a species-specific model to study morphometric relationships between otolith size and relative growth variables. Length-weight relationships between Otolith (Length-OL, Height-OH, and Weight-OW) and fish measurements (Total Length-TL and Total Weight-TW) were determined for fishes captured monthly during the year 2015 off the southeastern coast of Brazil. The ANCOVA and Kruskal-Wallis analysis did not indicate significant differences in the relative growth constants between sexes and length frequency distributions (p > 0.05). The condition factor also did not present significant differences between sexes, and right and left otolith measurements (p > 0.05). A total of 398 specimens were sampled: TL = 43.6-67.0 cm, TW = 365-2400 g, OL = 9.65-15.25 mm, OH = 3.65 - 5.45 mm and OW = 0.03-0.11 g. The LWR for grouped sexes was TW = 0.050TL2.55 and otoliths OW = 6.17E-05OL2.59. The best adjustments were TL vs OL (r2 = 0.90); OL vs OW (r2 = 0.90); TW vs OW (r2 = 0.81); and TW vs OL (r2 = 0.80). These results showed that such relationships are helpful tools for predicting the fish size and weight from otoliths, which may be used in food habits and paleontology studies, and other fisheries management applications.

Relative growth and morphometry of sagittae otoliths of weakfishes, Cynoscion guatucupa (Cuvier, 1830) and Cynoscion jamaicensis (Vaillant & Bocourt, 1883), in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean, Brazil

“…These correlations found in this study were expected, as similar records for otolith dimensions and somatic growth have been documented for different species groups and fish stocks (e.g. Battaglia et al, 2010;Munk, 2012;Souza et al, 2019). Some studies observed that fish growth rate can influence otolith size, reinforcing the link between fish size and otolith size (Huuskonen and Karjalainen, 1998).…”

“…The shape and size of the otoliths represent a pattern among bony fish families, usually species-specific (Harvey, 2000;Tuset et al, 2008). Studies demonstrating a positive correlation between otolith length and fish length and weight are common (Battaglia et al, 2010;Souza et al, 2019;Chanthran et al, 2020). Variations may occur between species and individuals, due to physiological or exogenous factors (Volpedo and Echeverría, 1999;Lombarte et al, 2003).…”

Biometric relationships between body size and otolith size in 15 demersal marine fish species from the northern Brazilian coast

“…An analysis of the otolith−fish size relationship for juveniles of four species of Scianidae in the De la Plata River estuary, in southern Uruguay (Waessle et al 2003), included three of our species (M. ancylodon, M. furnieri, and P. brasiliensis), which showed similar parameter values to those estimated in our study. Assis et al (2018) analyzed seven species of commercial importance from the coast of Bahia, in northeastern Brazil, and Souza et al (2019) studied Pomatomus saltatrix from the coast of Rio de Janeiro in the southeast. Besides their economic importance, some of these fish species, such as M. ancylodon, M. americanus, M. furnieri, P. harrowerri, and T. lepturus, are common prey of the estuarine dolphin, Sotalia guianensis (Van Bénéden, 1864), that occurs along the Brazilian coast (Vieira 2014), further highlighting the importance of our biometric estimators for ecological studies.…”

“…Studies on otoliths in marine fish from the Western South Atlantic are scarce (Waessle et al 2003;Assis et al VOL. 49(4) 2019: 299 -306 ACTA AMAZONICA 2018; Souza et al 2019). The high nutrient and sediment load from the Amazon River, near the Northern Coast of Brazil favors the occurrence of abundant fishery stocks, mainly shrimp (Penaeidae) and several fish species (Isaac and Braga 1999;Marceniuk et al 2019).…”

The Relationships Between Otolith Dimensions-Total Length and Otolith Features of European Perch (Perca fluviatilis L.,1758) Sampled from Yedikır Dam Lake (Turkey)

“…Otolith morphology varies between species, however separate stocks of the same species, often identical physically can sometimes be discriminated through subtle differences in otolith morphometrics (Tuset et al, 2003;Zengin et al, 2015;Ibáñez et al, 2017;Mapp et al, 2017). When the relationship between otolith dimensions and total length in a species is determined, the total length or standard length of a fish from its otolith dimensions can be estimated, or vice versa (Şen et al, 2001;Battaglia et al, 2010;Başusta et al, 2013;Yilmaz et al, 2014;Saygın et al, 2017;Yazicioğlu et al, 2017;Zengin et al, 2017;Ozpicak et al, 2018;Souza et al, 2019).…”