Relationships of Otolith Dimensions with Body Length of European Perch, Perca fluviatilis L., 1758 From Lake Ladik, Turkey

Abstract

The relationship between the otolith and body growth of the European perch ranging in total length from 8.7 to 25.9 cm was examined. Otolith length, height and weight were recorded for each pair of sagittae. The relationships between otolith variables and fish somatic growth were described with a non-linear function (power model). An analysis of covariance revealed differences in these relationships between females and males. The measurement most strongly related to fish body length was the otolith weight, with 87.5% of the variability in females and the otolith length, with 82.9% in males. The mean percent prediction errors were less than 8%. Therefore, the results confirmed that otolith growth reflected somatic growth, but that differed between sexes.