Age determination and growth of Boops boops (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Strait of Sicily

The bouge Boops boops is a demersal and semi pelagic species that lives in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and eastern Atlantic, in a deepness of 0 to 350 m. In the years following the Second World War, in the Strait of Sicily the bogue was an important target species for the artisanal fishery and it was fished by big pots of rushes (Juncus sp. Family: Juncaceae) made purposely for this species. Now, since the interest of the market towards the bogue has strongly decreased, it's a by-catch for industrial fishery, whereas the dedicated interest becomes bigger to the species fishing by trammel net, gill net and purse-seine, especially during summertime. No data are available about the biology of this species from southern Mediterranean, so this paper provides to some information about the age and growth, catch structure and sexual maturity as a contribution to the management of stock.