Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXII, Issue 2
Written by Cătălin PĂUN, Mădălina GALAŢCHI, Alexandru POPESCU, Livia VIDU, Elena POGURSCHI, Carmen Georgeta NICOLAE
The horse mackerel is a pelagic marine species of commercial interest at the Romanian Black Sea coast. The present study presents the analysis of the age of horse mackerels at the first sexual maturıty. For the determination of age, the method used was the interpretation of the otoliths, these are bone structures located in the inner ear. Age of sexual maturity of horse mackerel is 1-2 years. As a general rule, a fish population is considered to be in a good condition when the age at first sexual maturation exceeds 30% of the individuals present in the catch. The analyzed periods were 2012-2015 and 2016-2017. In the period 2012-2015, the percentage of the age of the first sexual maturation exceeded the 30% threshold compared to the 2016-2017 period when a decrease was recorded. The reduction is mostly due to fishing pressure on these species. In conclusion, it can be said that the horse mackerel population on the Romanian Black Sea coast is not in good condition status, and measures are needed to conserve the population.
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