Growth, mortality, and exploitation of <i>Saurida lessepsianus</i> Russell, Golani &amp; Tikochinski, 2015, from a southern Aegean Sea small-scale fishery: a stock assessment for sustainable fisheries

This study aimed to determine the stock assessment and growth parameters of <i>Saurida lessepsianus</i> in the southern Aegean Sea. The length frequency distribution of the specimens varied between 11.1 and 38.5 cm. It was determined that females, males, and all individuals had positive allometric growth. The estimated growth parameters L, K, t_0, and growth performance index (Ø') were 58.6 cm, 0.141 year -1, -1.01 years, and 2.68, respectively. The reproduction period continued from April to August. The length at which 50% of the fish population reaches sexual maturity (Lm50) for females was calculated as 19.04 cm. The total mortality (Z), natural mortality (M), and fishing mortality (F) of <i>S. lessepsianus</i> in the southern Aegean Sea were determined to be 0.39, 0.24, and 0.15, respectively. The exploitation rate (E) was estimated at 0.37. The present biomass was calculated to be 183.24 tons for F_curr (0.15). Maximum sustainable yield (MSY) was 820.07 tons, corresponding to F 2.2. It has been concluded that the stocks of <i>S. lessepsianus</i> are not overexploited. F_curr may be increased to 2/3 (F = 0.6, yield = 546.6 tons) of the fishing level of 2.2 for MSY.