Age, growth and feeding habits of boarfish (Capros aper) in the Aegean and Ionian Seas (Greece)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Boarfish, Capros aper (Linnaeus, 1758), is a demersal species with a wide distribution in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Boarfish is a common by-catch species of the bottom-trawl fisheries and, over the last two decades, its landings have been increasing in the Atlantic. In the Mediterranean Sea, its landings are not being recorded by any country and the data on its biology are rather limited. The present work aims to determine the lifespan and growth parameters of the boarfish in the Aegean and Ionian Sea (Greece) and provide data on its feeding habits and related morphological relationships. Overall, 406 individuals were collected during the summer of 2014 and their total weight (W, g), total length (TL, cm), vertical (VMO, mm), horizontal (HMO, mm) mouth openings were measured, and stomach contents were examined. Ageing was performed based on cracked and burned otolith readings. The growth parameters were estimated as L∞ = 11.19cm, K = 0.27 y−1, t0 = −0.57 y for the Aegean Sea and as L∞ = 10.43cm, K = 0.21 y−1, t0 = −3.41 y for the Ionian Sea. In both areas boarfish prefers feeding on Crustacea with Polychaeta, Annelida, Mollusca and Hydrozoa also participating in its diet. Finally, its trophic level was 3.27 ± 0.48 for the Aegean and 3.11 ± 0.29 for the Ionian Sea.