Growth of the chub mackerel Scomber japonicus (Pisces: Scombridae) off the Canary Islands
J.M. Lorenzo, J.G. Pajuelo and A.G. Ramos
Growth of the chub mackerel off the Canary Islands was studied using a back-calculation method based on the relationship between the otolith radius and the length of the fish. Otoliths showed clear growth rings. Two rings, one opaque and one hyaline, were laid down each year on the otoliths. The opaque zone was formed from March to September and the hyaline one during the remaining months of the year. The otolith radius-total length of the fish relationship was described by the equation: TL = 83.333 OR1.410. The back-calculated mean lengths ranged from 192 mm at the end of year 1 to 41 1 mm at the end of year 7. The parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth equation were: L∞= 492 mm, and K = 0.2 1 yr-1.