Lenght-weight relationship and condition factor of silver stage of European eel, Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758) from Lake Skadar (Montenegro)

The length-weight relationship (LWR) and condition factor of the Silver stage of European eel from Lake Skadar, Montenegro were examined on 140 registered individuals. The samples were collected from October to December 2019. The aim of this study was to determine the model of growth and condition of males and females of the silver stage of European eel. LWR of females of silver European eel showed positive allometric growth (b=3.12) while males showed negative allometric growth (b=2.12). Estimates of the average Fulton's condition factor (CF) ranged from 0.166 ± 0.021 as shown for the female, to 0.173 ± 0.011 as shown for males. The results of the relationship between the condition factor and the total body length showed a slight increase of condition for female individuals while for the silver males there was a slight decrease in condition with an increase in body length. The study presented here represents an additional contribution to data of European eel from Montenegro which should be useful in the process of establishing the management plan for better protection and conservation of this important but vulnerable species. Moreover, our research provides the first references on LWR and CF for the sexes of European eel from Lake Skadar