Length-Weight and Length-Length Relationships of the Levantine Barbel Luciobarbus pectoralis (Heckel, 1843) in Asi River, Turkey

Abstract

Length-weight and length-length relationships are very important in fish biology. These parameters can provide information on the stock condition and growth studies. In this study, we report the length-weight and length-length relationships for Luciobarbus pectoralis in the Southeastern Anatolia (Hatay, Turkey). A total of 125 (65 female and 60 male) specimens were captured from Asi River (Orontes River) basin using gill nets in September 2015 and March 2016. The total length and weight of both sexes varied from 15.5-38.0 cm and 35.0-855 g. The values of the exponent b of the length-weight relationships (LWRs) were 3.441 for females and 3.443 for males. The length-length relationship (LLRs) between the three-length measurements (TL-FL-SL) were highly correlated (R2>0.99, P<0.001). This study provides the first comprehensive description of LWRs and LLRs of L. pectoralis from the Asi River (Hatay, Turkey) according to their sexes. Besides new maximum length and weight are reported for L. pectoralis.