Age and growth of round sardinella (Sardinella aurita) in the northeastern Mediterranean

The round sardinella, Sardinella aurita Valenciennes, 1847, was sampled monthly from commercial purse-seine vessels in Kavala Gulf (northern Aegean Sea, Greece) for two complete year cycles (September 2000-August 2002). Its maximum total length and age were 248 mm and 5 years respectively. The length-weight relationship was W=0.0062TL3.064 for males and W=0.0059TL3.084 for females. The marginal increment analysis on scales (n=1352) confirmed annulus formation during February-March, which coincided with the lowest sea surface temperature prevailing in the study area. The marginal increment ratio for ages 1, 2 and 3 was positively correlated with sea surface temperature (all r >0.4, P< 0.05). The parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth equation were: L?=248.678 mm, K=0.509 yr-1 and t0=-0.881 yr. The comparison of growth parameters for round sardinella, using the auximetric plot, from Mediterranean and northwest African waters indicated different growth patterns between the two areas.