Contribution to the Study of the Age and Growth of Sander lucioperca (Percidae, Linnaeus, 1758) in the Hammam Debagh Dam Northeast Algeria

The present study was conducted in the Hammam Debagh reservoir northeastern Algeria from November 2019 to April 2020. To study the age and growth of the Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) population in this reservoir, 126 specimens were sampled, including 77 males and 49 females. The ages, total lengths, and total weights of the samples ranged from 0- 7 years, 15.7- 57.1cm and 92.1 to 1883g, respectively. The age of the fish was determined by the direct method (scalimetry). The lenght-weight relationship was described by the equation TW = 0.003TL^3.28 for total weight and EW = 0.002TL^3.43 for eviscerated weight. The ANCOVA test showed no signif­icant difference between the sexes’ slopes of the length-weight relations (F = 3.445, P> 0.05). The von Bertalanffy growth parameters deduced by introducing the average age/length couples were L∞ = 61.86cm; K= 0.30 year^-1, and t₀ = -0.52. The equation of the linear growth curve according to the von Bertalanffy model was written as Lt = 61.86 (1-e^-0.3(t+0.52)), and the equation of the weight growth curve was written as Wt = 2253.96 (1-e^-0.3(t+0.52)) ^3.28. The studied species showed a higher rate of masculinity (61.11%) than of femininity (38.89%). The overall sex ratio was in favor of males (SR = 1.57, χ² = 6.22; P< 0.05), except in March when males dominated (SR = 3: 1 ; χ² = 6.00 ; P< 0.05). The monthly variation of the sex ratio was constant throughout the study. The evolution of the sex ration according to the size of the fish showed no significant difference between males and females (0.806 ≤ χ² ≤ 2.123 ; P˃ 0.05).