Relationship between Sagittal Otolith Size and Fish Size in Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardina pilchardus (Osteichthyes: Clupeiformes) in the Southern Aegean Sea, Turkey

Year 2018, Volume: 33 Issue: 3, 72 - 76, 28.06.2018

Gökçen Bilge

Abstract

DOI: 10.26650/ASE201812

The objective of this study was to
determine the regressions between otolith size (length and height), otolith
weight vs. fish length, and weight of European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus
(Linnaeus, 1758) (n=360) and European pilchard Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum,
1792) (n=360), living off Güllük Bay, Turkey. Fish were caught using a purse
seine between January and March 2014 in the southern Aegean Sea. No differences
were found between the size and weight of the left and right otoliths. Equations
were used to reconstruct the original dimensions of prey from the size of hard
structures found in food samples of piscivorous predators living in or in the
vicinity of the aquatic habitat. A linear regression model was used to
determine the relationship between fish length and otolith size, whereas an
exponential regression model was used to describe the relationships between
lengths and weights of otoliths and fish for both species. All regressions
yielded high coefficients of determination (r2) of 0.78–0.93 for E.
encrasicolus and 0.80–0.95 for S. pilchardus. We conclude that otolith length
and otolith weight are good indicators of the length and weight of the two
species.

Keywords

European anchovy, European pilchard, Güllük Bay, otolith morphometry

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