Age and Growth of the Big Eye Priacanthus macracanthus from the Surrounding Water of Guei-Shan Island, Taiwan.

Abstract

Age and growth of the big eye Priacanthus macracanthus caught by bottom trawlers in north-eastern Taiwan waters from September 1981 to August 1982, were determined from annuli counts of 1, 172 individuals. Scale resting zones (bands) were formed twice a year, in February and August. The von Bertalanffy growth curve parameters obtained using a nonlinear regression based on age and back-calculated data were as follows: asymptotic length (L∞)=620mm fork length (FL), growth coefficient (K)=0.088, age at zero length (t0)=-1.05 yr for females; and L∞=482mm FL, K=0.113, t0=-0.75 yr for males. Female growth rates were estimated to be 102mm year 1, 44mm year 2, 40mm year 3, and 37mm year 4; male rates were 112mm for year 1, 40mm year 2, 35mm year 3, and 32mm year 4.