Length-weight Relationships of 19 Marine Fish Species from the Southern Coast of Black Sea Associated with Small-Scale Fisheries

Abstract

This study presents the length-weight relationship (LWRs) estimates for 19 marine fish species belonging to 12 families from the southern coast of the Black Sea. The species were sampled using small-scale fishing gears such as gillnets and trammel nets at depths of 0-120 m from 2010 to 2021. The LWRs were calculated by the linear regression of natural log-transformed data concerning W=a x TLb. Growth type was evaluated according to Pauly's t-test. The slope (b-value) ranged between 2.5643 and 3.5745, corresponding to the commonly expected range (2.50-3.50) except for Spicara flexuosum. The coefficient of determination values (r(2)) were above 0.90 except for Chromis chromis, Gobius niger, Neogobius melanostomus, Sardina pilchardus and Uranoscopus scaber. This study targeted specimens from small-scale fisheries-related gears; therefore, the results are primarily of interest to local fisheries management. The new LWRs cover substantially larger TLmax values than any previous study, and thus we can assume that all size classes of the species are adequately represented, and the new LWRs are more significant and species-specific than any previous estimate. This paper offers new insights into LWRs for the Umbrina cirrosa from the southern coast of the Black Sea.