Length–weight relations for 29 fish species from Homa Lagoon, Aegean Sea, Turkey

In the course of the presently reported study, covering the Homa Lagoon, Izmir Bay, Turkey, we collected a total of 2690 fish specimens belonging to 15 families and representing 29 species: Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758); Atherina hepsetus Linnaeus, 1758; Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810; Belone belone (Linnaeus, 1761); Blennius ocellaris Linnaeus, 1758; Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792); Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes, 1821); Engraulis encrasicolus (Linnaeus, 1758); Gobius niger Linnaeus, 1758; Pomatoschistus marmoratus (Risso, 1810); Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas, 1770); Zosterisessor ophiocephalus (Pallas, 1814); Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758); Chelon labrasus (Risso, 1827); Liza aurata (Risso, 1810); Liza ramada (Risso, 1827); Liza saliens (Risso, 1810); Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758; Mullus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758; Mullus surmuletus Linnaeus, 1758; Syngnathus acus Linnaeus, 1758; Syngnathus typhle Linnaeus, 1758; Diplodus annularis (Linnaeus, 1758); Diplodus vulgaris (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817); Lithognathus mormyrus (Linnaeus, 1758); Sarpa salpa (Linnaeus, 1758); Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758; Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758); Solea solea (Linnaeus, 1758). The fish were weighed, and measured and their length–weight relations were determined. Samples were collected during 2009–2010 using four different types of fishing gear (beach seine, fyke nets, barrier trap, and trammel nets; mesh size: 25, 28, and 30 mm) that allowed both adult and juvenile specimens to be captured. Significant length–weight relations were found for all species. The exponent b varied between 2.753 for Pomatoschistus marmoratus and 3.650 for Aphanius fasciatus (mean value = 3.115). The length–weight parameters of the same species may be different in the population because of feeding, reproduction activities and fishing etc. Therefore, we need to know length–weight relations of fish, which are captured in a given place in a certain period of time. Length–weight relations for 5 out of the 29 fish species are presented for the first time from Homa Lagoon in the Turkish Aegean Sea. © 2005 The West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin