Age, growth and reproduction of the Morocco dentex Dentex maroccanus of the eastern coast of Algeria

Abstract

A total of 1725 specimens of Dentex maroccanus caught in the eastern coast of Algeria from June 2011 to May 2012 were examined for an age and reproduction study. Total length (TL) ranged from 10.4 cm (16.05 g) to 26.8 cm (300.80 g). The maximum estimated age was 7 years for females and 8 years for males. The growth function of Von Bertalanffy fitted to backcalculated size at age data was: TL ¼ 36.64[1 2 e 20.2(t20.5) ] and TL ¼ 37.26[1 2 e 20.2(t20.5) ] for females and males respectively. Total length -eviscerated weight (We) relationship was estimated as We ¼ 0.012 TL 3.046 for females and We ¼ 0.011 TL 3.067 for males, being allometrically positive for both sexes. Sex-ratio was 1:0.9 in favour of females. A five-stage maturity scale based on macroscopic characteristics was identified and used to classify the gonads. The reproductive season, evaluated from a gonadosomatic index, extended from May to September. Fifty per cent maturity of the tested sample was reached at a total length of 14.4 cm TL for females and 15.1 cm TL for males.

Fecundity of Morocco Dentex Dentex maroccanus Valenciennes, 1830 Distributed in Izmir Bay (Central Aegean Sea of Turkey)

“…The findings both in this study and in other studies show that the reproductive season of the species is spring and autumn (Bauchot and Hureau, 1990;Lamrini and Bouymajjane, 2002;Mohdeb and Kara, 2014;Gül et al, 2014). Gül et al (2014) determined the first maturation length of females as 13.0 cm, which was found to be 13.4 cm in this study.…”

“…The previous studies revealed that the female fish were dominant, which agrees with the findings of this study. In this study, the female: male ratio was 1.5:1, while it was 1:0.9 in the study published by Mohdeb and Kara (2014) and 4.8:1 in the study published by Gül et al (2014). The results reveal that female fish are dominant.…”

“…The sex ratios reported by some studies from around the world and Turkey were 69% female, 30% male and 1% undetermined (Lamrini and Bouymajjane, 2002); 50% female, 47% male and 3% undetermined (Mohdeb and Kara, 2014); 82% female and 18% male (Gül et al, 2014). Ovary and testis about 1/2 length of body cavity.…”

“…In their elaborate study on the biology of the species in the Safi region of Morocco, Lamrini and Bouymajjane (2002) examined the ratio of the sexes and first maturation length and carried out the determination of the reproductive season using the gonadosomatic indexes (GSI) and reproductive properties such as fecundity. Mohdeb and Kara (2014) made mention of some of the reproductive properties of the species distributed in the Algerian coasts, which include the sex ratio, determination of the reproductive season, and first maturation length. In Turkey, in their study on the biology of the species living in Saroz Bay (the North Aegean Sea), Gül et al (2014) determined the reproductive properties such as sex ratio, determination of the reproductive season, first maturation length, fecundity, and relationship between fecundity and length.…”

Some Population Parameters of Morocco dentex, Dentex maroccanus Valenciennes, 1830 in the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea

“…Morocco dentex inhabits the muddy lower shelf [3] and lives independently of the bottom [4]. It is distributed from the Bay of Biscay to the Gulf of Guinea, the eastern Atlantic, and the southern Mediterranean [5,6]. It is reported from Algeria [6], and the Aegean Sea [3,7,8].…”