Growth of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the Gulf of Lions based on conventional tagging

Abstract

Mellon-Duval, C., de Pontual, H., Métral, L., and Quemener, L. 2010. Growth of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the Gulf of Lions based on conventional tagging. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 62–70. Growth of European hake was estimated from the results of a conventional tagging study in the Gulf of Lions, the first tagging experiment to have been undertaken on the species in Mediterranean waters. In all, 4277 hake 15–40 cm long were tagged and released on the inshore fishing grounds during spring 2006. The overall recapture rate was 6.5% and times-at-liberty ranged from 1 to 717 d. Growth rate in hake varied with size and sex. The estimated growth parameter (von Bertalanffy k) was estimated as double previously published values based on size frequency distribution in the area. Compared with recent growth parameters derived from the tagging experiments in the Bay of Biscay, k was estimated to be slightly lower in the Gulf of Lions. With this faster growth, hake would mature earlier than previously thought: at age 2 for both sexes, instead of at age 3 or 4 as currently accepted for the Mediterranean. Growth rate by sex decreased to a similar level once fish had attained sexual maturity.

Maturity and batch fecundity of the European hake (<i>Merluccius merluccius</i>, Linnaeus, 1758) in the eastern central Atlantic

“…This could be due to the differences in the different growth rates of the two sexes. Indeed, a recent study of the growth of European hake using tagging and recapture techniques (Mellon-Duval et al, 2010) shows that from the second year of life, females grow faster than males.…”

Twenty-five-year longevity of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) from novel use of bomb radiocarbon dating in the Mediterranean Sea

“…Because of the diagnostic alignment of the D 14 C values measured in the otolith cores of the two largest fish, it can be concluded that the FGH underestimates maximum age and is not a valid growth scenario for the entire lifespan of European hake (Tables 1, 2). Furthermore, it must be considered that Mellon-Duval et al (2010) have validated by tag-recapture a high growth rate for 96 juvenile European hake females (,24-cm total length). At this time, the validated longevity of large adult European hake obtained in the present study and the tag-recapture validated early growth represent the only reliable length-at-age information for the Mediterranean.…”

“…Ragonese et al 2012), two opposing hypotheses are under consideration in the present study: (1) a fast-growing hypothesis (FGH), with a maximum age near 15 years (e.g. García-Rodríguez and Esteban 2002;Mellon-Duval et al 2010); and (2) a slow-growing hypothesis (SGH), with a maximum age near 30 years (e.g. Aldebert and Carries 1989;Levi et al 1994).…”

“…In particular, the VBGF obtained by Mellon-Duval et al (2010) and García-Rodríguez and Esteban (2002) were considered to be the best representation of the FGH. Those produced by Aldebert and Carries (1989) and Levi et al (1994) were chosen as the best representation of the SGH.…”

“…Uncertainties on the validity of current age estimation methods, which vary considerably in age reading protocol, are widely reported and controversial (e.g. Orsi-Relini et al 1992;Morales-Nin et al 1998;García-Rodríguez and Esteban 2002;de Pontual et al 2006;Mellon-Duval et al 2010).…”