Age and Growth of Marine and Translocated Freshwater Populations of Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 (Atherinidae) in Turkey

The sand smelt, Atherina boyeri, is a short-lived euryhaline fish that inhabits coastal and estuarine waters. It has also been illegally translocated into inland freshwater lakes and reservoirs for fisheries purposes in Turkey, and has become an invader in fresh water. The aim of this study was to compare the growth performance of translocated inland water populations and natural marine and brackish populations of A. boyeri in order to assess its adaptation potential to fresh water. The age, body length and weight parameters of native populations of A. boyeri were studied at six locations in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea, and one in Koycegiz Lake lagoon. The same parameters of translocated inland populations were studied in two reservoirs (Aslantas and Hirfanli) and in two freshwater lakes (Egirdir and Iznik). The findings show that A. boyeri exhibit similar growth performance in the marine, brackish, and fresh water studied, indicating that this species is successful in adaptation to various environmental conditions that favours its invasive potential in Turkey.