Growth, mortality and yield per recruit of bogue, Boops boops (L.), from the Egyptian Mediterranean waters offAlexandria

Abstract

Age and growth of Boops boops (L.) from the Mediterranean Sea offAlexandria were estimated from scales. No significant difference in growth was found between male and female. Back-calculated lengths at annulus formation for combined sex were 10.97, 14.03, 16.39, 18.56 and 20.51cm TL. The estimated von Bertalanffy growth parameters were L∞ = 31.68 cm, K = 0.1531 year-1 and t° = -1.7838.The length-weight relationship was W = -2.1548L3.1031. Total mortality (Z), natural mortality (M) and fishing mortality (F) were 1.283, 0.458 and 0.824 year-1 respectively. The exploitation rate (E) was 0.464. A Beverton-Holt yieldper- recruit model indicated that the maximum yield-per-recruit was 21.06 g when fishing mortality was 2.4 and the current fishery harvests approximately 95% of the potential yield.