Age, growth and mortality of the Persian Sturgeon, Acipenser persicus, in the Iranian waters of the Caspian Sea

Bakhshalizadeh, S.; Bani, A.; Abdolmalaki, S.; Nahrevar, R.; Rastin, R.

Age, growth and mortality of the Persian Sturgeon, Acipenser persicus, in the Iranian waters of the Caspian Sea

Authors

¹ Dept. of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, P.O. Box: 1144, Sowmehsara, Iran

² Dept. of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, P.O. Box: 1144, Sowmehsara, Iran.

³ Inland water Aquaculture Research Institute, P.O. Box: 66, Bandar Anzali, Iran.

⁴ Inland water Aquaculture Research Institute, P.O. Box: 66, Bandar Anzali, Iran. *Corresponding author’s E-mail: shima_ba83@yahoo.com

Abstract

The age and growth of the Persian Sturgeon, Acipenser persicus, obtained from the Iranian coastal waters of the Caspian Sea, were studied through analysis of the pectoral fin ray section from 180 specimens, ranging in fork length (FL) from 66 to 203 cm. The specimens were obtained from commercial fisheries between October 2008 and June 2010. Interpretation of growth bands in the pectoral fin ray sections was carried out objectively using the direct reading of thin sections and image analysis. The maximum age recorded in this study for the spacimens of Persian Sturgeon was 39 years. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters estimated for females were greater than for males. The estimates of asymptotic length (L?) and growth coefficient (K) of females were 173.07 cm and 0.1 year -1, respectively and for males 164.33 cm L? and 0.08 year -1 K respectively,. Total mortality coefficient (Z) for females and males was estimated to be 0.45 and 0.76 year -1, respectively. This study revealed differences in life history parameters of the Persian Sturgeon compared with those of previous studies, which may be associated with the current increased fishing pressure and degradation of environmental conditions.

REFERENCES
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Billard, R and Lecointre, G. (2001) Biology and conservation of sturgeon and paddlefish. Fish Biol and Fishery. 10, 355–392.
Brennan, J. S., and G. M. Cailliet. (1989) Comparative age-determination techniques for white sturgeon in California. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 118, 296-310.
Birstein, V; Bemis, W and Waldman, J. (1997) The threatened status of Acipenseriform species: a summary. Environ Biol Fish. 48, 427–435.
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Gulland, J. A. (1983) Fish stock assessment: a manual of basic methods. FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization)/Wiley Series on Food and Agriculture, 1. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
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Markarova, I. and Alekperov, A. P. (1988) Age composition of sturgeons (Acipenseridae) occurring along the western shores of the south Caspian. Vopr Ichthyology. 6, 993-997.
Myers, R and Worm, B. (2003) Rapid worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities. Nature 423, 280–283.
Moghim M. (2003) Annual report on stock assessment of caviar fishes. Ecological research center of Mazandaran province. Iran, pp 107. (In Persian).
Morison, A. K., Robertson, S. G. and Smith, D. G. (1998) An integrated system for production fish aging: image analysis and quality assurance. N Am J Fish Manag. 18, 587–598.
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Pauly, D; Alder, A; Bennett, E; Christensen, V; Tyedmers, P and Watson, R. (2003) The future of fisheries. Science. 302, 1359–1361.
Pikitch E. K; Doukakis, p; Lauck, L; Chakrabarty, P and Erickson, D. L. (2005) Status, trends and management of sturgeon and paddlefish fisheries. Fish and Fishery. 6, 233-265.
Pourkazemi, M. (2006) Caspian Sea sturgeon Conservation and Fisheries: Past present and Future. J Appl IchthyolJ Appl Ichthyol 22 (Suppllement 1), 12-16.
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Saborowski, R and Buchholz, F. (1996) Annual changes in the nutritive state of North Sea. J Fish Biol. 49, 173-194.
Safina, C; Rosenberg, A; Myers, R; Quinn, T and Collie, J. U. S. (2005) Ocean fish recovery: staying the course. Science. 309, 707–708.
Sainsbury, K.J. (1980) Effect of individual variability on the von Bertalanffy growth equation. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 37, 241-247.
Stevenson, J. T., and D. H. Secor. (2000) Age determination and growth of Hudson River Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) Fish Bull. 98,153– 166.
Taghavi motlagh, A. (1996) Population dynamics of Sturgeon in the southern part of the Caspian Sea. Unpubl. PhD Dissertation, Univ. of Wales, Swansea, 300 p.
Zar, J.H. (1996) Biostatistical analysis. Prentice Hall, NJ., 662 p.
Zheng, Z.H. Wang, P.L. and Pu, F.D. (1999) A comparative study on pollen exine ultrastructure of Nothofagus and the other genera of Fagaceae. Acta Phytotax. Sin. 37: 253-258.

Keywords

References

Babushkin, N. YA and Borzenko, M.P. (1951) Sturgeon of the Caspian. Pishchepromizdat, Moscow. pp5-67. (In Russian)

Beamish, R. J. (1981) Use of fin ray sections to age Walleye pollock, Pacific cod, and albacore, and the importance of this method. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 110, 287-299.

Beamish, R. J and Fournier, D. A. (1981). A method for comparing the precision of a set of age determinations. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 38, 982–983.

Billard, R and Lecointre, G. (2001) Biology and conservation of sturgeon and paddlefish. Fish Biol and Fishery. 10, 355–392.

Brennan, J. S., and G. M. Cailliet. (1989) Comparative age-determination techniques for white sturgeon in California. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 118, 296-310.

Birstein, V; Bemis, W and Waldman, J. (1997) The threatened status of Acipenseriform species: a summary. Environ Biol Fish. 48, 427–435.

Chang, W. Y. B. (1982). A statistical method for evaluating the reproducibility of age determination. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 39, 1208– 1210.

Chen, Y. D; Jackson, D. A and Harvey, H. H. (1992) A comparison of von Bertalanffy and polynomial functions in modelling fish growth data.

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 49, 1228–1235.

166Age, growth and mortality of the Persian SturgeonGulland, J. A. (1983) Fish stock assessment: a manual of basic methods. FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization)/Wiley Series on Food and Agriculture, 1. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Halajian, A; Kazemi, R; Bahmani, M; Dajandian, S; Yosefi, A; Pordehghan, M. (2006) Examination of liver branches and gonad tissues of sturgeon which catched south of Caspian Sea in 2003-2004. International Sturgeon Institute, Iran. pp 39. (In Persian).

Jearld, A. (1992) Age determination. In: Fisheries techniques. (eds. Nielson L. A. & Johnson D. L.), pp 301-324. The American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland.

Koch, J. D; Schreck, W. J and Quist, M. C. (2008) Standardised removal and sectioning locations for shovelnose sturgeon fin rays. Fish Manag Eco. 15, 139-145.

KING, M. (1995) Fisheries Biology, Assessment and Management. Fishing News Books, Oxford, pp 352.

Markarova, I. A and Alekperov, A. P. (1988) Age composition of sturgeons (Acipenseridae) occurring along the western shores of the south Caspian. Vopr Ichthyology. 6, 993-997. Myers, R and Worm,

B. (2003) Rapid worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities. Nature 423, 280–283. Moghim M. (2003) Annual report on stock assessment of caviar fishes. Ecological research center of Mazandaran province. Iran, pp 107. (In Persian). Morison, A. K., Robertson, S. G. and Smith,

D. G. (1998) An integrated system for production fish aging: image analysis and quality assurance. N Am J Fish Manag. 18, 587–598.

Musick, J. A. (1999) Criteria to define extinction risk in marine fishes. Fisheries 24, 6–14. Pauly, D; Alder, A; Bennett, E; Christensen, V; Tyedmers, P and Watson, R. (2003) The future of fisheries. Science. 302, 1359–1361.

Pikitch E. K; Doukakis, p; Lauck, L; Chakrabarty, P and Erickson,D. L. (2005) Status, trends and management of sturgeon and paddlefish fisheries. Fish and Fishery. 6, 233-265.

Pourkazemi, M. (2006) Caspian Sea sturgeon Conservation and Fisheries: Past present and Future. J Appl IchthyolJ Appl Ichthyol 22(Suppllement 1), 12-16.

Putilina,L. A. (1981) Qualitative structure of the spawning part of the Persian Sturgeon population of the Volga. Rational principles of Sturgeon Farming. Volgograd, pp 209-210. (In Russian).

Rien, T. A and Beamesderfer, R. C. (1994) Accuracy and precision of white sturgeon age estimates from pectoral fin rays. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 123, 255-265.

Ricker W. E. (1973) Linear regressionbs in fishery research. J Fish Res Board Can. 30, 409-434.

Ricker, W.E. (1975) Computation and Interpretation of Biological Statistics of Fish Population. Bull Fish Res Board Can. 191, pp 382.

Roberts, C. M. and Hawkins, J. P. (1999) Extinction risk in the sea. Trends Ecol Evol. 14, 241–246.

Saborowski, R and Buchholz, F. (1996) Annual changes in the nutritive state of North Sea. J Fish Biol. 49, 173-194.

Safina, C; Rosenberg, A; Myers, R; Quinn, T and Collie, J. U. S. (2005) Ocean fish recovery: staying the course. Science. 309, 707–708.

Sainsbury, K.J. (1980) Effect of individual variability on the von Bertalanffy growth equation. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 37, 241-247.

Stevenson, J. T., and D. H. Secor. (2000) Age determination and growth of Hudson River Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) Fish Bull. 98,153– 166.

Taghavi motlagh, A. (1996) Population dynamics of Sturgeon in the southern part of the Caspian sea. Unpubl. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Wales, Swansea. pp 300.

Zar, J.H. (1996) Biostatistical analysis. Prentice Hall, NJ. pp 662.

Zheng, Z.H. Wang, P.L. and Pu, F.D. (1999) A comparative study on pollen exine ultrastructure of Nothofagus and the other genera of Fagaceae. Acta Phytotax. Sin. 37: 253-258.