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Biometrics, growth, and age of European eel, Anguilla anguilla in the Lake Bafa, Türkiye

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 September 2025

Nurbanu Partal ,
Hakan Ayyıldız Open the ORCID record for Hakan Ayyıldız [Opens in a new window] ,
Emine İnci Balkan  and
Şükran Yalçın Özdilek Open the ORCID record for Şükran Yalçın Özdilek [Opens in a new window]
Nurbanu Partal
Affiliation:
Şahintepe Mahallesi, Muratdere Caddesi, Başakşehir/İstanbul, Turkey
Hakan Ayyıldız*
Affiliation:
Marine Science and Technology Faculty, Department of Fisheries Industry Engineering, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Türkiye
Emine İnci Balkan
Affiliation:
Demiroglu Bilim University, Vocational School of Health Services, Medical Laboratory Techniques, Istanbul, Türkiye
Şükran Yalçın Özdilek
Affiliation:
Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Türkiye
*
Corresponding author: Hakan Ayyıldız; Email: ayyildizhakan@gmail.com
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Abstract

This study aims to determine the age and growth of Anguilla anguilla from Lake Bafa, Türkiye. A total of 128 samples of European eel were purchased from a small-scale fisherman who caught them in Lake Bafa in November 2016 and 2017, using 34-mm mesh size and 15-m-long fyke nets. The total length (TL) and total weight were measured, and the sex, age, and life stage were identified. The mean TL for females was 54.1 ± 10.1 (36.1–76.2) cm, and for males 43.6 ± 3.7 (35.7–47.8) cm. Yellow and silver eel mean TLs were 48.9 ± 6.6 (35.7–63.7) and 61.9 ± 10.8 (39.9–77.2) cm, respectively, and for pooled data 53.3 ± 10.3 (35.7–77.2) cm. The growth for pooled samples was positive allometric. The age of eels varied from 2 to 9 years. The Von Bertalanffy growth parameters for pooled specimens were determined as L∞ = 71.9 cm, K = 0.25, and t0 = −0.11. The sex ratio (M:F = 1:11.2) was biased in favour of females. It is inferred from this and other studies that eels in Türkiye have comparable length and age distributions in similar habitats.

Keywords

age and growthAnguilla anguillaendangered speciesEuropean eelLake Bafaotolith

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Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 105 , 2025 , e95
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

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Footnotes

This article was originally published with an incorrect author affiliation. This has now been updated.

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