The Variation of Several Biological Characteristics of the Chub, Squalius cephalus (L., 1758), in the Orenler Dam Lake, Northwest Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

In the present study, several growth parameters of 338 Squalius cephalus (L., 1758) specimens collected from the Orenler dam lake (Turkey) between July 2005 and June 2006 were studied. The population comprised 50.74% males, 46.29% females, and 2.97% males+females. In the examined samples, the age of females and males ranged from I to VII and I to VI, respectively. The fork length and weight of females were 14.7-38.0 cm and 40.68-27.0 g, respectively; these values were 16.3-33.7 cm and 57.7-560.0 g, respectively, for males. The age-length and age-weight relationships at time t were calculated by the von Bertalanffy equation for females, and the following results were obtained: Lt = 37.12[1–e–0.36(t–(–0.96))], Wt = 775.6[1–e–0.36(t–(–0.96))]3.27, Lt = 43.59[1–e–0.3356(t–(–0.719))], and Wt = 1123.2[1–e–0.3356(t–(–0.719))]3.08. The calculated length-weight relationship was W = 0.36L3.27 for females and W = 0.03356L3.08 for males. The average condition factor was 1.412 for females and 1.284 for males. Consequently, in the Orenler dam lake, S. cephalus grows very well according to the study’s results.