The Growth of Pomatomus saltatrix (Pomatomidae) from the Southeastern Coast of the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Growth parameters of any species are fundamental for eco-biological and dynamic studies. Since the quality of these parameters’ estimations affect species stock assessment directly, growth analysis should be improved. Many functions are used for growth modeling, but the most commonly used model in marine stock assessment is the von Bertalanffy growth function. In order to enhance the estimation of growth parameters of Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766), the von Bertalanffy growth function was determined via the Markov Chain Monte Carlo. In total, 288 individuals (158 females, 103 males, and 27 with undetermined sex) were collected during 12 months, from July 2020 to June 2021, along the eastern coast of Tunisia in the Mediterranean Sea (Monastir, Sousse and Mahdia). The individual ageing data was obtained from the examination of whole sagittal otoliths with binoculars under reflected light. The length–weight relationships (total weight (TW) ± 0.01 g; total length (TL) ± 0.1 cm) were TW = 0.011 × TL^2.974 (r² = 0.952, p < 0.05) for females, TW = 0.014 × TL^2.897(r² = 0.926, p < 0.05) for males and TW = 0.093 × TL^2.205 (r² = 0.819, p < 0.05) for undetermined sex. The adjusted with the Markov Chain Monte Carlo von Bertalanffy growth parameters were TL_∞ = 31.63 ± 1.32 cm, K = 0.46 ± 0.04 year^–1 for females and TL_∞ = 30.33 ± 1.31 cm, K = 0.49 ± 0.05 year^–1 for males. The gathered biological information will be useful for an ulterior stock assessment and fishery management of P. saltatrix in Tunisian waters.