Age and growth rates at the early life stages of common pandora (pagellus erythrinus) based on analysis of otolith microstructure

We investigated young-of-the-year (YOY) growth, age, and hatching distributions of common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) by analyzing otolith microstructure. This study was carried out in shallow waters (0-20 m) off the island of Gokceada, Turkey, from June 2013 through June 2014. A total of 231 YOY common pandora were measured and aged. These fish ranged from 12 to 110 mm in total length and from 38 through 242 d in age. The indices for determining variability in daily age estimates (average percentage error and coefficient of variation) were 4.9% and 3.4%, respectively. Average daily growth rate was calculated from a linear regression of the age-length data set as 0.52 mm/d. A linear relationship was found between otolith morphometric measurements (otolith length, width, and radius) and total length for YOY common pandora. The hatching times of common pandora were back-calculated to occur from February through October, and 2 main hatching cohorts were evident in spring (March) and summer (August).