Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T04:03:59.418Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Age, growth, longevity, mortality and reproductive biology of Dipturus oxyrinchus, (Chondrichthyes: Rajidae) off the Gulf of Gabès (Southern Tunisia, central Mediterranean)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2014

Hasna Kadri ,
Sondes Marouani ,
Mahamed Nejmeddine Bradai ,
Abderrahmen Bouaïn  and
Eric Morize
Hasna Kadri*
Affiliation:
Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, Centre de Sfax, B.P. 1035, Sfax 3018, Tunisia
Sondes Marouani
Affiliation:
Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, Centre de Sfax, B.P. 1035, Sfax 3018, Tunisia
Mahamed Nejmeddine Bradai
Affiliation:
Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, Centre de Sfax, B.P. 1035, Sfax 3018, Tunisia
Abderrahmen Bouaïn
Affiliation:
Faculté des Sciences de Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
Eric Morize
Affiliation:
Lemar/IRD 230 Broennou, 29870 Landéda France
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: H. Kadri, Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, Centre de Sfax, B.P. 1035, Sfax 3018, Tunisia email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The age, growth, longevity, mortality and reproductive parameters were estimated for Dipturus oxyrinchus from the Gulf of Gabès (Southern Tunisia, central Mediterranean Sea), collected monthly during 2007 from commercial fisheries. The present study provides the first data on age and growth of this species in Tunisian waters, as well as additional data on its reproduction. A total of 240 females (16.5–105 cm total length (TL)) and 280 males (15.5–95 cm TL) were examined to study the reproductive cycle. A subsample of 285 specimens (175 females and 110 males, ranging from 15.5 to 105 cm TL) were analysed to study the age and growth. The oldest female in this study was 25 yr and 105 cm TL, whereas the oldest male was 22 yr and 95 cm. The annual deposition of growth bands was verified by marginal increment and edge analysis. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were L∞ = 123.9 ± 2.56 cm, K = 0.08 ± 0.004 yr−1 and t0 =  −1.26 ± 0.04 10−1 yr for females and L∞ = 102.1 ± 3.23 cm, K = 0.12 ± 0.007 10−3 yr−1 and t0 = −1.18 ± 0.03 10−1 yr for males. Growth was not significantly different between sexes. The maturity size was 72.05 cm for males and 82.1 cm for females. The maturity age was estimated to be 11.95 and 13.96 years, respectively, for males and females. Size and age at maturity were not significantly different between sexes. The estimated longevity was 26.18 and 38.84 yr for males and females, respectively. Based on life history parameters, natural mortality was estimated at 0.53 yr−1 for females and 0.41 yr−1 for males.

Keywords

Dipturus oxyrinchusagegrowthreproductionmortalityGulf of GabèsTunisiaMediterranean Sea
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 95 , Issue 3 , May 2015 , pp. 569 - 577
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Beamish, R.J. and Fournier, D.A. (1981) A method of comparing the precision of a set of age determinations. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 38, 982–983.Google Scholar
Brander, K. (1981) Disappearance of common skate Raia batis from Irish Sea. Nature 290, 48–49.Google Scholar
Cailliet, G.M. and Goldman, K.J. (2004) Age determination and validation in chondrichthyan fishes. In Carrier, J., Musick, J.A. and Heithaus, M.R. (eds) Biology of sharks and their relatives. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 399–447.Google Scholar
Campana, S.E. (2001) Accuracy, precision, and quality control in age determination, including a review of the use and abuse of age validation methods. Journal of Fish Biology 59, 197–242.Google Scholar
Campana, S.E., Marks, L. and Joyce, W. (2005) The biology and fishery of shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) in Atlantic Canadian waters. Fisheries Research 73, 341–352.Google Scholar
Capapé, C. and Quignard, J.P. (1974) Contribution à la biologie des Rajidae des côtes tunisiennes. I. Dipturus oxyrinchus Linnaeus, 1758: Répartition géographique et bathymétrique, sexualité, reproduction, fécondité. Archive de l'Institut Pasteur Tunis 51, 39–60.Google Scholar
Cavanagh, R.D. and Gibson, C. (2007) Overview of the conservation status of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyans) in the Mediterranean Sea. Gland: IUCN.Google Scholar
Chang, W.Y.B. (1982) A statistical method for evaluating the reproducibility of age determination. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 39, 1208–1210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conrath, C.L., Gelsleichter, J. and Musick, J.A. (2002) Age and growth of the smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis) in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Fisheries Bulletin 100, 674–682.Google Scholar
Craik, J.C.A. (1978) An annual cycle of vitellogenesis in the elasmobranch Scyliorhinus canicula. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 58, 719–726.Google Scholar
Dulvy, N.K., Pasolini, P., Notarbartolo, G., Serena, F., Tinti, F., Ungaro, N., Mancusi, C. and Ellis, J.E. (2006) Rostroraja alba. In IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org (accessed 10 April 2014).Google Scholar
Ebert, D.A. (2005) Reproductive biology of skates, Bathyraja (Ishiyama), along the eastern Bering Sea Continental Slope. Journal of Fish Biology 66, 618–649.Google Scholar
Francis, M.P., Maolagain, C.O. and Stevens, D. (2001) Age, growth, and sexual maturity of two New Zealand endemic skates, Dipturus nasutus and D. innominatus. New Zealand Journal of Marine Fisheries Research 35, 831–842.Google Scholar
Garcia-Garrido, L., Munoz-Chapuli, R. and Andres, A.V. (1990) Serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in Scyliorhinus canicula (L.) during sexual maturation. Journal of Fish Biology 36, 499–509.Google Scholar
Hayashi, J. (1976) Studies on the growth of the red tilefish in the East China Sea.1. A fundamental consideration for age determination from otoliths. Bulletin of the Japanese Society for the Science of Fish 42, 1237–1242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hazin, F.H.V., Fischer, A.F., Broadhurst, M.K., Veras, D., Oliveira, P.G. and Burgess, G.H. (2006) Notes on the reproduction of Squalus megalops off northeastern Brazil. Fisheries Research 79, 251–257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holden, M.J. and Vince, M.R. (1973) Age validation studies on the centra of Raja clavata using tetracycline. ICES Journal of Marine Science 35, 13–17.Google Scholar
Irvine, S.B., Stevens, J.D. and Laurenson, L.J.B. (2006) Surface bands on deepwater squalid dorsal-fin spines: an alternative method for ageing Centroselachus crepidater. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 63, 617–627.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ismen, A., Yıgın, C. and Ismen, P. (2007) Age, growth, reproductive biology and feed of the common guitarfish (Rhinobatos rhinobatos Linnaeus, 1758) in Iskenderun Bay, the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Fisheries Research 84, 263–269.Google Scholar
Joung, S.J., Lee, P.H., Liub, K.M. and Liao, Y.Y. (2011). Estimates of life history parameters of the sharpspine skate, Okamejei acutispina, in the northeastern waters of Taiwan. Fisheries Research 108, 258–267.Google Scholar
Kadri, H., Marouani, S., Saïdi, B., Bradai, M.N., Ghorbel, M., Bouaïn, A. and Eric, M. (2012) Age, growth and reproduction of Raja miraletus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Chondrichthyes: Rajidae) of the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia, Central Mediterranean Sea). Marine Biology Research 8, 388–396.Google Scholar
Kadri, H., Marouani, S., Saïdi, B., Bradai, M.N., Bouaïn, A. and Eric, M. (2013) Age, growth and reproductive biology of the rough skate, Raja radula (Chondrichthyes: Rajidae), off the Gulf of Gabes (southern Tunisia, central Mediterranean). Marine and Freshwater Research 64, 540–548.Google Scholar
Kadri, H., Marouani, S., Saïdi, B., Bradai, M.N., Bouaïn, A. and Eric, M. (2014b) Age, growth, sexual maturity and reproduction of the thornback ray, Raja clavata (L.), of the Gulf of Gabes (south-central Mediterranean Sea). Marine Biology Research 10, 416–425.Google Scholar
Licandeo, R.R., Lamilla, J.G., Rubilar, P.G. and Vega, R.M. (2006) Age, growth, and sexual maturity of the yellownose skate Dipturus chilensis in the south-eastern Pacific. Journal of Fish Biology 68, 488–506.Google Scholar
Marquez-Farias, J.F. (2007) Reproductive biology of shovelnose guitarfish Rhinobatos productus from the eastern Gulf of California Mexico. Marine Biology 151, 1445–1454.Google Scholar
Marçal, A.S. (2003) Biologia reprodutiva de Atlantoraja platana (Günther, 1880) (Elasmobranchii, Rajidae) no Sul do Brasil, Rio Grande. Tesis de maestría. Fundação Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Brazil.Google Scholar
Marquardt, D.W. (1963) An algorithm for the least squares estimation of nonlinear parameters. Journal of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics 2, 431–441.Google Scholar
McFarlane, G.A. and King, J.R. (2006) Age and growth of big skate (Raja binoculata) and longnose skate (Raja rhina) in British Columbia waters. Fisheries Research 78, 169–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Musick, J.A. (1999) Ecology and conservation of long-lived marine animals. In Musick, J.A. (ed.) Life in the slow lane: ecology and conservation of long lived marine animals. Bethesda, MD: American Fisheries Society, Symposium 23, pp. 1–10.Google Scholar
Natanson, L.J., Casey, J.G. and Kohler, N.E. (1993) Age and growth estimates for the dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus, in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Fisheries Bulletin 93, 116–126.Google Scholar
Neer, J.A. and Thompson, B.A. (2005) Life history of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico, with comments on geographic variability in life history traits. Environmental Biology of Fish 73, 321–331.Google Scholar
Noesis (2002) TNPC 4.1–Traitement Numérique de Pièces Calcifiées. Noesis, France.Google Scholar
Shoou, J.J., Pei, K.M.L. and Yih, Y.L. (2011) Estimates of life history parameters of the sharpspine skate, Okamejei acutispina, in the northeastern waters of Taiwan. Fisheries Research 108, 258–267.Google Scholar
Simpfendorfer, C.A., Chidlow, J.A.R. and Unsworth, P. (2000) Age and growth of the whiskery shark, Furgaleus macki, from southwestern Australia. Environmental Biology of Fishes 58, 335–343.Google Scholar
Sulikowski, J.A., Morin, M.D., Suk, S.H. and Howell, W.H. (2003) Age and growth of the winter skate (Leucoraja ocellata) in the western Gulf of Maine. Fisheries Bulletin 101, 405–413.Google Scholar
Sulikowski, J.A., Tsang, P.C.W. and Howell, W.H. (2005) Age and size at sexual maturity for the winter skate, Leucoraja ocellata, in the western Gulf of Maine based on morphological, histological and steroid hormone analyses. Environmental Biology of Fishes 72, 429–441.Google Scholar
Tamini, L.L., Chiaramonte, G.E., Perez, J.E. and Cappozz, H.L. (2006) Batoids in a coastal fishery of Argentina. Fisheries Resarch 77, 326–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ungaro, N., Serena, F., Dulvy, N.K.D., Tinti, F., Bertozzi, M., Mancusi, C., Notarbartolo di Sciara, G. and Ellis, J.E. (2007) Dipturus oxyrinchus. In IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org (accessed 10 April 2014).Google Scholar
Von Bertalanffy, L. (1938) A quantitative theory of organic growth. Human Biology 10, 181–213.Google Scholar
Walmsley-Hart, S.A., Sauer, W.H.H., Buxton, C.D. (1999) The biology of the skates Raja wallacei and R. pullopunctata (Batoidea: Rajidae) on the Agulhas Bank, South Africa. South African Journal of Marine Science 21, 165–179.Google Scholar
Waring, G.T. (1984) Age, growth and mortality of little skate off the northeast coast of the United States. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 113, 314–321.Google Scholar
Wilson, A.C., Brothers, E.B., Casselman, J.M., Smith, C.L. and Wild, A. (1983) Glossary Committee. In Prince, E.D. and Pulos, L.M. (eds) Proceedings of International Workshop on Age Determination of Oceanic Pelagic Fishes: Tunas, Billfishes, and Sharks. NOAA Technical Report NMFS 8, pp. 207–208. Available at: www.fishbase.org (accessed 10 April 2014).Google Scholar
Yigin, C. and Ismen, A. (2010) Age, growth, reproduction and feed of longnosed skate, Dipturus oxyrinchus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Saros Bay, the north Aegean Sea. Journal of Applied Ichthyolgy 26, 913–919.Google Scholar
Zar, J.H. (1999) Biostatistical analysis. 3rd edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Zeiner, S.J. and Wolf, P. (1993) Growth characteristics and estimates of age at maturity of two species of skates (Raja binoculata and Raja rhina) from Monterey Bay, California. NOAA Technical Report NMFS115, pp. 87–99.Google Scholar