Life History Traits of Three Large-Sized Trevally Species, Alectis ciliaris, Alectis indica, and Gnathanodon speciosus in the Western Arabian Gulf
摘要
Large-sized carangids (Family Carangidae) are popular targets in fisheries with considerable levels of fisheries exploitation pressure; however, information about their life history traits was fairly limited. In the present study, some life history traits of African pompano Alectis ciliaris, Indian threadfish Alectis indica, and golden trevally Gnathanodon speciosus from the western Arabian Gulf were analysed and the relationships between otolith weight and somatic length, weight, and age were examined. These three large carangids reach maximum ages of 9, 15, and 13 years, respectively. Their von Bertalanffy growth coefficients ranged from 0.455 to 0.586 year− 1, with no significant interspecific differences. Gnathanodon speciosus had a significantly smaller length at 50% maturity (369 mm fork length) compared to Alectis ciliaris (410 mm) and Alectis indica (450 mm). The monthly patterns of the gonado-somatic index indicated females of these three carangids were reproductively active from April to July. Understanding the life history traits of these large carangids is crucial for setting effective management priorities and assessing their vulnerability to overfishing, especially in data-poor situations.