Age at maturity of some fish species distributed in Turkish marine waters (Actinopterygii and Elasmobranchii)

Abstract

We collected data on the age at maturity (tm) and maximum reported age (tmax) for 153 stocks of marine fishes in Turkey, belonging to 59 species, 24 families and 2 classes (Actinopterygii and Elasmobranchii). Among Actinopterygii tm had an average of 1.8 years (1 to 4 years) while among Elasmobranchii it had an average of 11.9 years (2 to 11.9 years). Overall, tmax ranged between two years (for Sarda sarda) and 34 years (for Squalus acanthias). Mean tmax was found to be 6.24 years for Actinopterygii and 10.11 years for Elasmobranchii. tm showed a positive linear correlation with tmax for both Actinopterygii and Elasmobranchii. Mean tm⁄tmax did not differ significantly with sex within the Actinopterygii and Elasmobranchii. The ratio tm⁄tmax was found to be significantly lower for Actinopterygii than for Elasmobranchii.