LIMNOFISH-Journal of Limnology and Freshwater Fisheries Research 1(1): 9-18 (2015) Age, Growth and Reproductive Period of White Bream, Blicca bjoerkna (L., 1758) in Lake Ladik, Turkey Savaş YILMAZ1,*, Okan YAZICIOĞLU2, Ramazan YAZICI3, Nazmi POLAT1 1 Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Arts and Science, Department of Biology, Samsun-Turkey 2 Ahi Evran University, Technical Vocational Schools of Higher Education, Botanic and Animal Production Department, Organic Farming Program, Kırşehir-Turkey 3 Ahi Evran University, Çiçekdağı Technical Vocational Schools of Higher Education, Laboratory and Veterinary Health Department, Kırşehir-Turkey ABSTRACT ARTICLE INFO The white bream, Blicca bjoerkna (L., 1758) specimens (n=434) were collected RESEARCH ARTICLE from Lake Ladik between November 2009 and October 2010 in order to determine the age, growth, and reproductive season. Fork lengths and weights of Received : 08.01.2015 these samples varied between 11.5-24.3 cm and 22.80-259.00 g, respectively. Age Revised : 16.03.2015 estimates obtained from scales and vertebrae were compared to determine the most reliable bony structure for ageing. The precision analyses indicated that Accepted : 17.03.2015 scales were the most appropriate hard structures for determining the age of white Published : 20.04.2015 bream. Ages of all the specimens ranged from I to VI years and age group III was dominant. The parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth equations were -1 calculated as L∞ = 32.85 cm, W∞ = 707.76 g, k = 0.11 year and t0 = -2.64 year, and the growth performance index (Φ') value was computed as 2.074 for * CORRESPONDING AUTHOR combined sexes. Fork length-weight relationship was found to be [email protected] W = 0.0066 FL3.317. The mean condition factor was the highest in August and the Tel : +90 362 312 19 19 lowest in October. The gonadosomatic index values showed that the reproduction Fax: +90 362 457 60 81 occurred between May and June. Keywords: Ageing, scale, growth, reproduction season, Blicca bjoerkna, Lake Ladik Ladik Gölü (Türkiye)’ndeki Tahta Balığı, Blicca bjoerkna (L., 1758)’nın Yaşı, Büyümesi ve Üreme Dönemi Öz: Tahta Balığı, Blicca bjoerkna (L., 1758) örnekleri (n=434) yaş, büyüme ve üreme dönemini belirlemek amacıyla Kasım 2009-Ekim 2010 tarihleri arasında Ladik Gölü’nden yakalanmıştır. Çatal boy ve ağırlık dağılımları sırasıyla 11,5-24,3 cm ve 22,80-259,00 g arasında değişmiştir. Pul ve omurdan elde edilen yaşlar en güvenilir kemiksi yapının tespit edilmesi amacıyla karşılaştırılmıştır. Uyum analizleri Tahta Balığı’nın yaşının belirlenmesi için en uygun yapının pul olduğunu göstermiştir. Örneklerin yaşları I-VI arasında dağılım göstermiş ve III yaş grubu baskın yıl sınıfını oluşturmuştur. Populasyon genelinde -1 von Bertalanffy büyüme denklemi parametreleri L∞ = 32,85 cm, W∞ = 707,76 g, k = 0,11 yıl ve t0 = -2,64 yıl ve büyüme performans indeks değeri (Φ') 2,074 olarak hesaplanmıştır. Çatal boy-ağırlık ilişkisi W = 0,0066 ÇB3,317 şeklinde elde edilmiştir. En yüksek ve en düşük ortalama kondisyon faktörü değerleri sırasıyla Ağustos ve Ekim aylarında elde edilmiştir. Gonadosomatik indeks değerleri üreme faaliyetinin Mayıs-Haziran aylarında gerçekleştiğini göstermiştir. Anahtar kelimeler: Yaş tayini, pul, büyüme, üreme dönemi, Blicca bjoerkna, Ladik Gölü Introduction estimates is the selection of the most reliable Age and growth information is very important for bony structure for the ageing procedure fisheries science (DeVries and Frie 1996). Studies on (Abecasis et al. 2008). The most suitable method of the age and growth of fishes are crucial for the age determination may vary among different fish understanding of vital features such as lifespan, age species or different populations of the same species at recruitment, age at sexual maturity, reproduction (Khan et al. 2011). Thus, evaluation of precision of periods, migrations, mortality of species and different calcified structures by multiple readers populations (Pontual et al. 2002). Therefore, the age should be performed (Stolarski and Sutton 2013). of fish must be determined accurately (Polat 2000). The white bream, Blicca bjoerkna (L., 1758) is One of the main problems in age and growth widespread in Europe and Asia continents 10 Yılmaz et al. 2015 - LimnoFish 1(1): 9-18 (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007). This species is period of B. bjoerkna living in Lake Ladik, Samsun distributed in a large area from eastern side of Province, Turkey. England up to the Caspian Sea basin. It has entered to Turkey from northern Europe and it is found in Materials and Methods Apolyont (Uluabat), Manyas (Kuş), Sapanca and Lake Ladik (40°50'N to 41°00'N, 35°40'E Ladik lakes, Kura River, Sakarya River basin to 36°05'E) is located within the borders of Samsun and the inland waters of Thrace region Province in the central Black Sea region of Turkey. (Geldiay and Balık 2007). White breams generally This lake is 10 km far from Ladik district and it is a prefer calm waters and they live in great lakes and wetland with eutrophic character, has surface lower parts of rivers (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007). area of 10 km2 and maximum depth of 6 m B. bjoerkna is a freshwater fish; however, it also (Yılmaz et al. 2012). A total of 434 fish were inhabits in brackish waters (Geldiay and Balık 2007). collected monthly between November 2009 The euryphagous white bream feeds on mainly and October 2010 using gillnets and trammel nets. benthic invertebrates (Wielgosz and Tadajewska Gillnets had five panels (100 m long and 2 m deep) 1988). They spawn in May-July at temperatures with varying mesh size (20x20, 25x25, 30x30, 35x35 above 15 °C (Kottelat and Freyhof 2007). This and 40x40 mm) and trammel nets had five panels species does not have any commercial value because (100 m long and 4 m deep) with varying mesh size of its unpleasant taste. However, it is an important (45x45, 50x50, 55x55, 60x60 and 70x70 mm). Fork prey for top predators such as Esox lucius lengths were measured to the nearest 0.1 cm and total (Wysujack et al. 2001; Yazıcıoğlu 2014), weights were weighed to the nearest 0.01 g. The sex Perca fluviatilis (Wziatek et al. 2004; was determined by the visual examination of gonads. Yazıcıoğlu et al. 2012), Sander lucioperca The gonad weight was recorded with 0.01 g (Lozys 2003), Silurus glanis (Wysujack and Mehner precision. The differences between mean length and 2005), Lutra lutra (Kemenes and Nechay 1990; weight values of females and males were Kloskowski et al. 2013), Mustela vison tested with Mann-Whitney U test (α=0.05) (Bartoszewicz and Zalewski 2003), and (Zar 1999). Length-frequency and weight-frequency Vulpes vulpes (Jensen and Sequeira 1978). distributions of sexes were compared by using Several studies have been conducted on the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z test (α=0.05) (Zar 1999). biology of white bream. Tadajewska (1993) analyzed Scales and vertebrae were removed from all the food composition of this species individuals for aging. Scales were taken from the left in Zegrzyński Dam Reservoir (Poland). anteriodorsal region of fish. Vertebrae (4th-10th) were Specziàr et al. (1997) studied the growth, diet and extracted. These calcified structures were prepared feeding strategy in the littoral zone of Lake Balaton for age estimation by appropriate techniques. Scales (Hungary). Balık et al. (1999) investigated the were cleaned in a 3% solution of NaOH for 3-6 h, growth and reproduction properties in Lake Kuş dried with blotting paper, and fixed between two (Balıkesir Province, Turkey). Gürsoy (2001) glass slides. Dissected vertebrae were placed in determined the size at maturity and fecundity in boiling distilled water for 2-4 min, cleaned off the Lake Sapanca (Sakarya Province, Turkey). excess tissues, and stored as dry in labeled envelopes Hamalosmanoğlu (2003) and Okgerman et al. (2012) (Chugunova 1963). In order to determine the best studied the growth and reproductive characteristics in aging structure, we compared ages estimated from Lake Sapanca. Tarkan et al. (2006) reported the scales and vertebrae for 122 specimens captured length-weight relationship from Lake Sapanca. between January and March 2010. Each bony Şaşı and Berber (2012) examined the age and growth structure was aged twice at different times by three in Uluabat Lake (Bursa Province, Turkey). readers. Precision (reproducibility) of these age Yılmaz et al. (2012) researched the seasonal estimates were measured by calculating the percent variations of the length-weight relationship and the agreement (PA), average percent error (APE) and relative condition in Lake Ladik (Samsun Province, coefficient of variation (CV) within reader and Turkey). Jamali et al. (2015) investigated its age, between readers, i.e. reproducibility within reader size, and some biological aspects in Aras Dam Lake was based on the two (first and second) replicate (Western Azerbaijan Province, Iran). The objectives counts of one reader, and reproducibility between of the present study were to: (1) determine the most readers was based on the second count by readers. reliable aging method for white bream by PA was the percent of full agreement between comparative analysis of two hard structures; readings. APE for the jth fish was computed (2) provide the information on age structure and by following equation (Beamish and Fournier 1981): growth features; and (3) assess the reproduction Yılmaz et al. 2015 - LimnoFish 1(1): 9-18 11 푅 This index was expressed by the following 1 |푥푖푗 − 푥푗| equation (Ricker 1975): 퐴푃퐸 = ∑ × 100 푅 푥푗 푖=1 K = 100 WL-3 where xij is the ith age determination of the jth fish, xj is the average age calculated for the jth fish, where W is the weight of the fish and L is the fork and R is the number of times each fish aged. CV for length of the fish. The mean K values were compared the jth fish was written as follows (Chang 1982): using the student t-test between sexes and within the same month (Zar 1999).