تقدير عمر و نمو سمكة الصبور Tenualosa ilisha (Hamilton, 1822)‎ باستخدام الحراشف أثناء هجرة التكاثر في مياه العراق الداخلية

Abstract EN

Age and growth of the Hilsa Shad Tenualosa ilisha was studied using fish scales during the spawning migration in to the Shatt al-Arab and the marshes of southern Iraq from the al Faw city to the southern part of Hour Al Hammar for the period of March 2013 until April 2014.

This is the first time that the scales were used to estimate the age and growth of this species in Iraq and the region.

Fish lengths ranged between 50-460 mm, and weight ranged 0.97-1190g.

The study of scales validity showed that the growth marks are formed on annual bases, as well as through a strong correlation (R2 = 0.80) between total length and scales radius, and the agreement of calculated lengths with the observed lengths of age groups, in addition to the agreement with the results of many studies that estimated the age in other ways.

The back calculation was found based on the hypotheses of linear and non-linear regression and the optimum hypothesis was elected.

Fish Age ranged from O+ group to five-year age group (V+).

Von Bertalanffy growth model was calculated and the parameters were L∞ = 59.38 cm, K = 0.2793 year −1, and t0= 0.04.

These results were close to the parameters calculated by other methods for Hilsa in Iraqi waters and the region.