Biological Aspects of the Brown Ray (Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758) in the Saros Bay, the Northern Aegean Sea

Abstract

The present study reports the age, growth, and reproduction parameters of 52 brown rays (Raja miraletus) captured from the Saros Bay (Northern Aegean Sea) between September 2006 -2008. The males and females accounted for 44.2% and 55.8% of the sample, respectively. The males measured 10.5-53.5 cm (disc width, 6.5-32 cm) and the females ranged 25.5-47.7 cm (disc width, 18-30.5 cm) in total length (TL). The equations TW=0.0017*TL3.27 and TW=0.0017*DW3.38 were used to describe the total length-weight and disc width-weight relationships, respectively. The length-at-age data on vertebrae were used to estimate the von Bertalanffy growth equation: L∞ = 62.43 cm, K = 0.28 year−1, t0 = −0.54 year. The maximum age was found to be 4 years for both the males and females.

Keywords

• raja miraletus
• age
• growth
• reproduction
• saros bay
• aegean sea