Length-weight relationships of 15 mesopelagic shrimp species caught during exploratory surveys off the Canary Islands (central eastern Atlantic)

Abstract

Length-weight relationships (LWRs) were estimated for 15 mesopelagic shrimp species off the Canary Islands (central eastern Atlantic). Total length, cephalothorax length and total weight were taken for individuals collected during three research campaigns using a commercial semi-pelagic trawl net. The most represented families among the collected species were Sergestidae and Oplophoridae, with eight and three species, respectively. Overall, 60% of the species showed isometric growth, 33.3% negative allometry and 6.7% positive allometry. These 15 LWRs are the first c ontribution on mesopelagic shrimp species from the northwest Africa region, contributing to knowledge on the relative growth of these crustaceans.