Age, growth and maturity of tub gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucerna Linnaeus 1758; Triglidae) in the inshore coastal waters of Northwest Wales, UK

Abstract

Summary The tub gurnard Chelidonichthys lucerna has been identified by ICES as a potential commercial species in the northeast Atlantic with recommendations made to monitor landings and discards and to derive information on population biology for stock assessment purposes, however, data are lacking for the species in the northeast Atlantic. Therefore, aims of this study were to provide data on the size/age‐structure and patterns of growth, maturity and mortality of C. lucerna in Northwest Wales, UK, and in doing so to provide data on the biological characteristics of the most northerly population studied to date for comparison with the existing data for southerly Mediterranean populations. Data on the age, growth and maturity of C. lucerna were collected by otter trawling (73 mm cod‐end stretched mesh size) in the coastal waters of Northwest Wales, UK in October (2000–2011, excluding 2006). Total length (TL) of fish sampled ranged between 10.5–41.0 cm (males) and 10.4–57.5 cm (females). The majority of the female fish were between 20–30 cm TL (60.2%) and the majority of the male fish between 20–30 cm TL (58.3%) respectively. TL/weight (W) relations for male and female fish were similar and the combined data was described by W = 0.0067 TL3.10. Age of fish ranged between 1–7 years old for female fish and 1–5 years old for male fish respectively with the majority of female fish 3 years old (40%) and the majority of male fish 3 years old (37%). The age structures of female and male tub gurnards were not significantly different with the older age classes consisting predominantly of female fish. Both males and females exhibited similar asymptotic growth patterns and the combined von Bertalanffy growth function was TLt = 51.6 (1 − e [−0.25(t + 0.41)]). Instantaneous rates of total mortality were calculated as 1.04 year−1 for males and 1.11 year−1 for females. The size (L50) and age at first maturity (A50) were estimated to be 29.1 cm TL and 2.8 years for males, 27.7 cm TL and 2.7 years for females and 28.0 cm TL and 2.8 years for both sexes combined. The results of this study provide the first information on the biology and population dynamics of C. lucerna in the Irish Sea, the first data collected in the northeast Atlantic since 1985 and the most northerly population studied to date.

Population biology of grey gurnard (Eutrigla gurnardus (L.); Triglidae) in the coastal waters of Northwest Wales

“…However, detailed information on the population biology and landings/discard data for stock assessment purposes for each species within the different ICES subareas of the NE Atlantic is currently lacking. To help address this data gap, data from surveys conducted on all three triglid species in northwest Wales have been recently published: red gurnard (Marriott et al, ), tub gurnard (McCarthy & Marriott, ) and grey gurnard (this study). Population biology data for grey gurnard is limited.…”

Age and Growth of Tub Gurnard Chelidonichthys lucerna (Linnaeus, 1758) during Estuarine Occupation of a Temperate Atlantic Nursery

“…From the very few studies on its growth, only one estimated the age from the fish scales [28], while most others have used the otoliths for ageing purposes. Apart from the McCarthy & Marriott [6] research in UK coastal waters, no detailed investigation has been conducted on the population biology of tub gurnard in the European Atlantic coast since the work by Baron [29,30] in the North of France. It is then evident, there is a lack of knowledge with respect to the Atlantic region, despite its need for a successful fisheries management.…”

“…In fact, the tub gurnard is described as the largest of the European Triglidae [7], as it reaches a maximum size of 75cm and 15 years old (Baron, 1985a). Yet, males older than 3 [6] to 4 years old are rare [64]. In Mondego, a small share of the gurnards (about 20%) was older than one year of age and just 9.5% were older than 3 years.…”

“…The tub gurnard Chelidonichthys lucerna is a marine fish species with a high nutritional value [1]. Besides a by-catch species in demersal fisheries [2,3], it has an emerging commercial importance in Europe, mainly due to the decline in the stocks of the traditionally targeted species [4][5][6]. Tub gurnards cooccur with other Triglidae with commercial interest (e.g., grey gurnard Eutrigla gurnardus), both in the Atlantic [7] and in the Mediterranean [8], which are often landed together [2].…”

Length-Weight Relationships with Condition Indices of Three Commercial Fish Species Caught by Monofilament Gillnets in the İskenderun Bay, Turkey

“…Totally, 82 fish samples captured and total lengths and weights of they were measured to the nearest 0,01 cm and to 0,01 g. Minimum-maximum length and weight of caught fishes were determined as 14,0-24,5 cm and 31,2-126,6 g for C. lucerna, 18,5-25,55 cm and 37,7-125,5 g for P. lascaris, 14,5-26,6 cm and 55,8-180,0 g for S. aurata. Total length-weight relationships of three fish species were found as W=0,0837*TL 2,28 for C. lucerna, W=0,0018*TL 3,45 for P. lascaris, and W=0,0667*TL 3,30 for S. aurata. Fulton's condition factors were detected as 1,05±0,04 for C. lucerna, 0,72±0,01 for P. lascaris, and 2,00±0,10 for for S. aurata.…”