Some biological characteristics of Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda Bloch, 1793) from Gallipoli Peninsula and Dardanelles (northeastern Mediterranean, Turkey)

This study was carried out to determine some biological characteristics of Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda Bloch, 1793) from the Gallipoli Peninsula and Dardanelles (northeastern Mediterranean, Turkey) between September 2006 and October 2009. The length– weight relationship was estimated as W = 0.0020TL3.41 (r^2 = 0.96) for females, W = 0.0029TL3.32 (r^2 = 0.97) for males, and W = 0.0028TL3.32 (r^2 = 0.97) for all samples. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were computed as L∞ = 68.5 cm, k = 0.78 year^–1, t0 = –0.34 years for females; L∞ = 72.2 cm, k = 0.69 year^–1, t0 = –0.52 years for males; and L∞ = 69.8 cm, k = 0.76 year^–1, t0 = –0.44 years for all samples. The length at first maturity was estimated to be 41.9 cm for females and 35.8 cm for males.