Age, growth and mortality of the Mediterranean amberjack Seriola dumerili (Risso 1810) from the south-eastern Adriatic Sea

Abstract

The age, growth and mortality of the Mediterranean amberjack Seriola dumerili (Risso 1810) were determined in 298 specimens collected in the south-eastern Adriatic Sea (Donji Molunat Bay) from 17 May to 26 June 1997. The total length ranged from 32.0 to 160.0 cm and weight from 0.5 to 46.5 kg. Ten age classes, ranging from 1° to 10° years were defined by scale readings. Mean total length and weight-at-age data were used to estimate the growth parameters of the von Bertalanffy equation: L∞=174.6 cm, K=0.190, t0=–0.314; W∞=79.01 kg, K=0.139 and t0=–0.746. The length–weight relationship was estimated at: W=0.000123 × L2.847. The overall sex ratio was 1 : 1.06 in favour of males. Total (Z) and natural (M) mortality were found to be 0.41 years−1 and 0.30 years–1, respectively. The exploitation ratio (E=0.27) indicates that the fishing pressure on the Mediterranean amberjack was low in the investigated region.