Fecundity of Morocco Dentex Dentex maroccanus Valenciennes, 1830 Distributed in Izmir Bay (Central Aegean Sea of Turkey)

Abstract

In this study, the reproductive properties of the Dentex maroccanus species distributed in the Aegean Sea were determined. A total of 439 fish were collected during the period from December 2012 to March 2014 from the commercial fishers who seasonally hunt in the Foça-Mordoğan region (İzmir, Turkey) were examined. After the measurement of the total lengths and body and gonad weights of the fish samples in the laboratory, their sexes were identified, which revealed that 140 of the samples were male, 206 of the samples were female and 93 of the sample were undeterminated. The female:male ratio was 1.5:1. The 5-point maturity phase discrimination method developed by Holden and Raitt for maturity stages in 1974 was macroscopically examined for female and male fish specimens. A total of 16 ovaries, which were determined to be at the 3rd and 4th stages of maturity according to the method, were used to determine fecundity. The gonadosomatic index values that were calculated based on the seasons revealed that the reproductive period of the species was summer (2.87) and autumn (2.10). The first maturation length for the species was 13.4 cm. Estimates of total fecundity varied between 74252 and 201187 eggs (mean: 123263±44586). There was an exponential relationship between fecundity and total length as F = 10.643L3.111. The diameter of the mature eggs ranged from 0.49 mm to 0.67 mm (mean: 0.59±0.06 mm).