Age Structure and Growth Modeling of Sander lucioperca (Linnaeus, 1758) from Lake Oubeira (Northeast Algeria)

The present study provides the first contribution focusing on the growth biology of the pike-perch Sander lucioperca in Oubeira Lake (El-Tarf, Northeast Algeria). A total of 374 specimens were sampled, of which 167 were females and 176 were males. The ages, total lengths (TL) and eviscerated weights (EW) of the individuals ranged between 1 and 8 years, from 21.2 to 88.9cm and from 92 to 1771g, respectively. Fish age was determined according to the direct method (scalimetry). The length-weight relationship was expressed by the following equations: EW = 0.007975TL3.02 for the entire population, EW = 0.00538TL3.11 for female and EW = 0.0104TL2.93 for male. The ANCOVA test revealed no significant difference between the slopes of the length-weight relationships (P> 0.05). The parameters of the von Bertalanffy model estimated from the age-length data were: L∞ = 91.39 cm; K = 0.41 an⁻¹; t₀ = –0.51. In our case the growth performance was recorded at (φ) 3.28. The asymptotic weight obtained (W∞ = 1985 g) was slightly higher than the maximum weight observed (1771 g). An isometric growth characterized the studied population (b = 3.02), with a positive allometry for females (b = 3.11) and a negative one for males (b = 2.93). These findings constitute the first comprehensive description of pike-perch growth parameters in Oubeira Lake and provide a baseline for the development of sustainable management and conservation strategies for the species in continental Algerian waters.