Age determination and growth estimates of the white-spotted conger eel, Conger myriaster (Brevoort, 1856) in marine waters of South Korea

Bae, J.H., Bae, H.J., Park, H.-M., Park, H.-S., Kim, H.-G. and Oh, C.-W. (2017) Age determination and growth estimates of the white-spotted conger eel, Conger myriaster (Brevoort, 1856) in marine waters of South Korea. Journal of Applied Ichthyology. (doi:10.1111/jai.13587).

Abstract

The age and growth of conger eel, Conger myriaster, were investigated by measuring transversely sectioned sagittal otoliths samples from 635 individuals. Sample ages ranged from 1 to 13 years in the female data. Parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth function were estimated using nonlinear regression from back-calculation, mean length of samples at age relationships, and otolith weight-at-age relationships. Best-fitting value of the three methods was the otolith weight-at-age relationship (r2 = .87). Parameters of otolith weight-at-age were estimated as L∞ = 143.76 cm, K = 0.081, and t0 = −1.285. Maximum oocyte diameter (MOD) ranged from 50 to 430 μm. Reproductive traits of ovaries showed a positive relationship between GSI and MOD (r2 = .8515). It is suggested that oogenesis begins to develop from 4 years of age and at lengths of about 45 cm TL. In conclusion, these data provide reliable fundamental data for the fish stock management of Conger myriaster in South Korea.

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