Age, growth and reproduction of the lizard fish Saurida undosquamis from the Gulf of Suez, Red Sea, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Marine Science Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University

2 Fisheries Division, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries

Abstract

The lizard fish Saurida undosquamis represents one of the most commercial fish
in the Gulf of Suez. The growth and reproductive biology of the species were studied.
The age was determined from otolith readings of the collected specimens from the
Attaka Harbor through the period from September 2011 to April 2012. The results
show that the life span of the sampled fish was seven years. The estimated von
Bertalanffy growth equation was Lt=51.252 (1-e-0.131(t+1.45)), the calculated lengthweight
relationship was W= 0.004 L3.107. Seasonally distribution of gonado-somatic
index (GSI) values showed that the main peak of GSI was in spring. The results of
gonad development stages show that, Saurida undosquamis is a synchronous spawner.
The size at which 50% of fishes are mature was 15.0 cm for males and 15.5 cm for
females, which indicates that all individuals over one year of age were sexually
mature. The results indicated that juvenile individuals are one of the targets of the
fishery and the protection of the juveniles is probably the key factor for the
sustainability of the resources.

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