Overview of a Keystone Small Pelagic Fish in the North-Western Black Sea: Biometry, Age and Stock Status of Horse Mackerel Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868)
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Fish Sampling
2.2. Determining Biometric Parameters
2.3. Age Reading Methodology
2.4. Estimating Stock Biomass
3. Results
3.1. Population Parameters
3.2. Age Structure
3.3. Stock Status
3.3.1. Overview of Catches
3.3.2. Romanian Coastal Context
3.3.3. Total Biomass Estimation
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Year | N | L (cm) + SD | W (g) + SD | K + SD |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | 120 | 8.79 ± 1.46 | 6.02 ± 2.49 | 0.86 ± 0.09 |
2015 | 108 | 13.84 ± 1.24 | 22.75 ± 5.66 | 0.84 ± 0.06 |
2016 | 229 | 12.04 ± 1.79 | 15.69 ± 6.21 | 0.86 ± 0.11 |
2017 | 244 | 11.05 ± 2.78 | 14.04 ± 9.81 | 0.88 ± 0.14 |
2018 | 180 | 11.86 ± 1.81 | 16.42 ± 8.63 | 0.91 ± 0.09 |
2019 | 322 | 11.8 ± 2.13 | 15.3 ± 8.46 | 0.85 ± 0.1 |
2020 | 315 | 11.02 ± 2.19 | 11.95 ± 7.48 | 0.8 ± 0.2 |
2021 | 245 | 11.65 ± 1.57 | 13.64 ± 6.22 | 0.83 ± 0.25 |
2022 | 289 | 10.68 ± 2.04 | 11.64 ± 7.61 | 0.85 ± 0.06 |
2023 | 1115 | 11.19 ± 1.86 | 12.4 ± 8.59 | 0.78 ± 0.11 |
2024 | 570 | 11.26 ± 1.27 | 12.9 ± 4.4 | 0.87 ± 0.09 |
Age | Sex | N | L (cm) | W (g) |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | I | 71 | 7.79 | 4.01 |
F | 621 | 9.66 | 7.50 | |
M | 631 | 9.57 | 7.16 | |
Combined | 1323 | 9.52 | 7.15 | |
I | F | 707 | 11.21 | 12.26 |
M | 544 | 11.06 | 11.65 | |
Combined | 1251 | 11.14 | 12.00 | |
II | F | 398 | 12.83 | 18.05 |
M | 337 | 12.54 | 16.78 | |
Combined | 735 | 12.70 | 17.47 | |
III | F | 188 | 14.62 | 26.68 |
M | 131 | 14.35 | 25.65 | |
Combined | 319 | 14.51 | 26.25 | |
IV | F | 56 | 16.02 | 36.21 |
M | 45 | 15.82 | 35.63 | |
Combined | 101 | 15.93 | 35.95 | |
V | F | 3 | 18.36 | 53.39 |
M | 5 | 17.14 | 51.32 | |
Combined | 8 | 17.60 | 52.10 |
Depth Interval (m) | 0–30 m | 30–50 m | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Researched area (km2) | 2005 | 3440 | 5445 |
Catch variation (t/km2) | 0.006–1.259 | 0.001–0.240 | 0.001–1.259 |
Mean catch (t/km2) | 0.349 | 0.022 | 0.185 |
Biomass of fishing agglomerations (t) | 858.58 | 112.10 | 969.68 |
Biomass extrapolated to the Romanian shelf (t) 969.68 |
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Păun, C.; Țoțoiu, A.; Țiganov, G.; Galațchi, M.; Nenciu, M.; Niță, V. Overview of a Keystone Small Pelagic Fish in the North-Western Black Sea: Biometry, Age and Stock Status of Horse Mackerel Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868). Fishes 2025, 10, 390. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10080390
Păun C, Țoțoiu A, Țiganov G, Galațchi M, Nenciu M, Niță V. Overview of a Keystone Small Pelagic Fish in the North-Western Black Sea: Biometry, Age and Stock Status of Horse Mackerel Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868). Fishes. 2025; 10(8):390. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10080390
Chicago/Turabian StylePăun, Cătălin, Aurelia Țoțoiu, George Țiganov, Mădălina Galațchi, Magda Nenciu, and Victor Niță. 2025. "Overview of a Keystone Small Pelagic Fish in the North-Western Black Sea: Biometry, Age and Stock Status of Horse Mackerel Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868)" Fishes 10, no. 8: 390. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10080390
APA StylePăun, C., Țoțoiu, A., Țiganov, G., Galațchi, M., Nenciu, M., & Niță, V. (2025). Overview of a Keystone Small Pelagic Fish in the North-Western Black Sea: Biometry, Age and Stock Status of Horse Mackerel Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868). Fishes, 10(8), 390. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10080390