Age and growth of brown meagre Sciaena umbra (Sciaenidae) in the Adriatic Sea

Age and growth of the brown meagre Sciaena umbra (Sciaenidae) collected (n = 532) in the north-western Adriatic Sea was studied by means of transverse otolith sections. The maximum age estimated was 19 and 16 years for males and females, respectively. The length at age estimated for each sex indicated that females attain a larger size and grow slightly faster than males. Both marginal increment analysis and edge analysis confirmed that annuli are formed once a year, with opaque zones laid down in summer (June-July). Age readings were very precise, with a percentage agreement of 98% between readers and low values of the index of average percent error (0.9%) and coefficient of variation (1.3%). Von Bertalanffy growth function was fitted to age-length data, and growth parameters were estimated for males (L-infinity = 44.9 cm; k = 0.27, t(0) = -2.17 years) and females (L-infinity = 47.2 cm; k = 0.28, t(0) = -1.82 years). In both sexes of brown meagre, growth rate was high until they attain 2 - 3 years of age, i.e. at sexual maturity. Most of catches were obtained in late summer-early autumn. On the basis of present data, the sampled population of brown meagre mostly consisted of small fish younger than three years of age (about 90%). In addition, landings of this species in recent years largely decreased. As reported elsewhere in north-western Mediterranean, brown meagre stock in the Adriatic Sea showed clear signs of depletion, thus specific management measures for this species are urgently required.