FN Archimer Export Format PT J TI Growth and age estimation of the greater forkbeard, Phycis blennoides (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Phycidae), from the Gulf of Tunis (central Mediterranean) BT AF ROMDHANI, Ahlem KTARI, Mohamed-Hedi DUFOUR, Jean-Louis MAHE, Kelig FRANCOUR, Patrice AS 1:1,2;2:1;3:2;4:2;5:3; FF 1:;2:;3:PDG-RBE-HMMN-RHBL;4:PDG-RBE-HMMN-RHBL;5:; C1 Fac Sci Tunis, Lab Biol & Biodiversite Populat, Campus Univ El Manar 2, Tunis 2092, Tunisia. IFREMER, Boulogne, France. Univ Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, ECOMERS, F-06189 Nice, France. C2 UNIV TUNIS, TUNISIA IFREMER, FRANCE UNIV NICE, FRANCE SI BOULOGNE SE PDG-RBE-HMMN-RHBL IN WOS Ifremer jusqu'en 2018 DOAJ copubli-france copubli-univ-france copubli-int-hors-europe copubli-sud IF 0.67 TC 5 UR https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00324/43532/43077.pdf LA English DT Article DE ;otolith;biological traits;length-weight relation;von Bertalanffy growth function AB Background. The greater forkbeard, Phycis blennoides (Brünnich, 1768), is a gadiform species, which has economical value and its population is dwelling in a 60–800 m depth range throughout the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Along African north coast, there is a lack of information about the biology (age, growth, sex-ratio) of this species. This study provides the first data on population parameters of P. blennoides in Tunisia. Materials and Methods. Specimens of Phycis blennoides were collected from the landings of the artisanal fisheries between September 2007 and June 2010. The length–weight relations were determined according to the allometric equation: W = aTLb. Growth parameters were estimated using the von Bertalanffy growth equation. Results. Length (TL)–Weight (W) relations were allometrically positive for the females (W = 22.10–4TL3.409), males (W = 13.10–4TL3.674), and both sexes (W = 19.10–4TL3.460), without significant differences between males and females. The relation between otolith weight and age showed a significant difference between males and females. The growth parameters were calculated as TL∞ = 57.17 cm, K = 0.193 · year–1, t0 = –1.578 · year for the females, and 44.74 cm, 0.313 · year–1, and –1.210 · year for the males, respectively. The females grew faster than the males which did not exceed 45 cm. The growth performance index Ф' calculated for the females (2.80 cm· year –1) and males (2.79 cm· year –1) yielded similar results. Conclusion. Results reported in this work will contribute to the knowledge on the biology of P. blennoides in Tunisia, with the aim of generating sufficient information to improve future stock management and sustainable fisheries. PY 2016 SO Acta Ichthyologica Et Piscatoria SN 0137-1592 PU Wydawnictwo Akad Rolniczej W Szczecinie VL 46 IS 1 UT 000374189500003 BP 25 EP 32 DI 10.3750/AIP2016.46.1.03 ID 43532 ER EF