Spatial variability of linear growth of Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) from the Moroccan Atlantic coast by using otolithometry

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     The present work provides a comparative study of the linear growth of sardine, Sardina pilchardus, in the Moroccan Atlantic coast. Sardines with medium and large sizes were the most exploited. Thus, the fishing effort is geared towards adults; high mortality rates are mostly recorded among young adults in the age groups 2+ and 3+ years. This study was conducted to answer the problematic state of the spatial variability of the sardines of the Moroccan coast by detecting the readings of age from the otoliths. Results showed that sardine has a significant linear growth during its first year of life, then growth speed decreases with the increase of age. With respect to their linear growth rate, the specimens understudy can be separated into three zones from north to south; namely, ‘Larache’ ‘Safi’ and ‘Dakhla’. Von Bertalanffy's equations were presented for each zone. In conclusion, this study remarkably showed the existence of spatial variability of the linear growth of sardines of the Moroccan littoral. It divides the Moroccan coast into three zones; from north to south.

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