Age and growth of gilt-head sea bream ( Sparus aurata L.) in the Mirna estuary, northern Adriatic

Abstract

The age and growth of the gilt-head sea bream, Sparus aurata L., were determined from specimens collected in the Mirna estuary (northern Adriatic) during December (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993). Mean length at age data, as derived using scale readings, were used to estimate the growth parameters of the von Bertalanffy equation: L ∞ = 59.8 cm, K = 0.15, t 0 = −1.71; W ∞ = 5554 g, K = 0.09 and t 0 = −2.64. Length-weight relationship was estimated at: W = 0.0112 L 3.052. Natural mortality was found to be M = 0.32 per year (formula of D. Pauly, 1980) and M = 0.41 per year (formula of V.A. Rikhter and V.N. Efanov, 1976).