Life-history traits of the black scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus) in southeastern Black Sea

Abstract

Scorpaena porcus is one of the most important members of rock and reef community in the Black Sea. the present study aimed to investigate the bio-ecological properties of 5. porcus in the Eastern Black Sea. the growth, age, and sex compositions, feeding and reproduction biology of 1061 individuals were examined. the total length of the individuals ranged between 6.7 and 25.5 cm. the observed age ranged up to 8 years in both the sexes; the oldest individual both in males and females was 8 years of age. the von Bertalanffy growth function parameters in the samples were L-infinity=22.15 cm, k=0.287, t(0)= -1.577 (year) and W-infinity=238.14 g. the sex ratio (male/female) was 1/1.13. S. porcus fed most frequently on fish and decapods in all seasons. the reproduction period was identified to be between June and October, as evident by GSI values and macroscopic and histological analysis of gonads. Hydrated oocytes first appeared in June on the histological examinations; however, the atresia was highest in October. in conclusion, the study identified S. porcus as a new target species and the studied bio-ecological characteristics are expected to be important in developing an optimal strategy for fishery stock management.