GROWTH ANALYSIS OF Mugil cephalus (PERCOIDEI: MUGILIDAE) IN MEXICAN CENTRAL PACIFIC

Abstract

Elaine Espino-Barr, Manuel Gallardo-Cabello, Arturo Garcia-Boa, Marcos Puente-Gómez

Growth analyses are important in the study of the life history of all species, especially if it belongs to a fishery. The striped mullet Mugil cephalus is an appreciated fish in the small scale fishery. Specimens for this study were obtained from the commercial fishery in the Cuyutlan Lagoon, Colima, and in Cruz de Loreto Lagoon, Jalisco, Mexico; they were fished with gill-nets. Samples were obtained from August to December 2007, January to March 2008 and November 2012 to October 2013. Total length (TL, cm) was measured to the nearest millimeter, from the snout tip to the caudal fin extreme, and total weight (TW, g) and eviscerated weight (EW, g) were taken from 734 organisms. Growth constants from von Bertalanffy were determined with Ford-Walford-Gulland method. Growth parameters for the species were Lï�?¥ = 60.0 cm, k = 0.115, to = -2.63, TWï�?¥ = 2 147 g, EWï�?¥ = 1 782 g and longevity A0.95 = 23.5 years. Differences were found in the growth of sexes. Allometric indexes of the relationship between weight and length were isometric: b = 2.954 for TW data and b = 2.95 for EW data. Results were compared to those of other authors in other geographic areas in Mexico and the world, finding differences probably due to climate, genetic and latitudinal position, as well as to the fishing pressure. M. cephalus is a slow grower whose juvenile organisms have to be protected, by using the appropriate fishing gears.