Abstract
Samples (N = 1065) of the gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, were collected in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia) from March 2008 to February 2010. This species is a protandric hermaphrodite. Total length (TL) ranged from 10.10 to 35.00 cm and the number of males to each female was 1.18:1. The reproductive season extended from October to February and maximum spawning activity occurred from December to January. The size at which 50% of the males reached maturity was 17.63 ± 0.28 cm TL and the size at which 50% of males transformed into females was 18.75 ± 0.19 cm TL. The length-weight relationship for all individuals was described by the following parameters: a = 0.0107 and b = 3.0797. Age of fish ranged from 0 to 8 years. Estimates of the von Bertalanffy growth parameters for the whole sample were: L∞= 38.28 cm, k = 0.202 year–1, and t0 = –1.888 years.
Highlights
The gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata (Linnaeus 1758), is common in the Mediterranean Sea but rare in the Black Sea (Bânârescu 1964)
The present study provides data on the reproductive biology, age structure, and growth rates of S. aurata in the Gulf of Gabes
A total of 1065 specimens of S. aurata were obtained by a random stratified sampling of commercial catches from different fishing ports of the Gulf of Gabes between March 2008 and February 2010
Summary
The gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata (Linnaeus 1758), is common in the Mediterranean Sea but rare in the Black Sea (Bânârescu 1964). It is present in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, from the British Isles to the Canaries and Cape Verde (Bauchot and Hureau 1986). In Tunisia, S. aurata is of great commercial interest both in traditional fisheries and in marine aquaculture. It represents more than 15% of sparid fishes landed in the area (the statistical office of the General Directorate for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Tunisia provided an annual mean estimate of 291 t for 2010, 2011, and 2012)
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