Age, growth and reproductive biology of the keeled mullet Liza carinata from the Suez Bay, Red Sea, Egypt

The age, growth and reproductive biology of the Liza carinata from the Suez Bay were studied. Age determination was based on otolith readings and validated by the decomposition of the seasonal length frequency distributions collected during the period from January 2009 to January 2011. The estimated von Bertalanffy growth equation was Lt = 21.279 (1 – e ^-0.463 (t + 0.325)). The fish grows allometrically (b = 2.8692; 95% CI: 3.1687-3.370) and relatively rapid, achieved more than 50% of the growth during the first year of life. Seasonal distribution of gonado-somatic index (GSI) values showed that the main peak of GSI was in autumn. The seasonal development of maturity stages indicated that the spawning activity occurs during autumn. The size at which 50% of fishes are mature was 13.3 cm for males and 13.5 cm for females, which indicates that all individuals over two years of age were sexually mature. The absolute fecundity of the present species ranged from 60732.3 to 98549.3 eggs for fishes in the size ranging from 13.6 to 18.4 cm in total length. This study recommends altering the closer season in Suez Bay to be during autumn in order to protect the spawning biomass of Liza carinata resources in the Bay.