Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 2
Written by Cătălin PĂUN, Daniel GRIGORAȘ, George ȚIGANOV, Mădălina GALAȚCHI, Cristian-Sorin DANILOV, Carmen Georgeta NICOLAE
Fish length-weight relationships (LWR) are essential for estimating biomass and assessing fish population health. This study examined the LWR and condition factors (K) of seven commercial fish species caught along the Romanian Black Sea coast between March and November 2023. A total of 4,698 individuals were analyzed, with the most abundant species being Engraulis encrasicolus (2,248 individuals) and Atherina boyeri (810 individuals). The LWR parameters varied: the intercept "a" ranged from 0.0034 (Trachurus mediterraneus) to 0.0134 (A. boyeri), and the slope "b" ranged from 2.7 (A. boyeri) to 3.32 (T. mediterraneus). The coefficient of determination (r2) ranged from 0.72 to 0.957. Growth was isometric for 4 species, negative allometric for 1 species, and positive allometric for 2 species. Condition factors (K) indicated suboptimal health (K < 1) for most species, except Neogobius melanostomus (K = 1.3) and Mullus barbatus (K = 1.09). These results are valuable for future fisheries management and conservation efforts.
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