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Growth & feeding of Bogue (Boops boops (L,1758)) in Mersin and Iskenderun Bays (Levant Sea) northeastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey

Abstract

Bogue, Boops boops (Linnaeus 1758), is one of the important commercial species in marine
fisheries of Turkey. This study was performed to document feeding, growth, mortality, and
exploitation rate of bogue population in the Gulf of Mersin and Iskenderun, the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Between September 2019 and August 2020, a total of 967 specimens were
collected from commercial fishers operating in the area. Total length (TL) ranged from 11.1 to
28.4 cm, and total weight (W) ranged from 12.1 to 281 g. The exponential coefficient of the
TL–W relationship (LWR) was significantly different between sexes (p<0.05). The LWR for
juveniles, males, females, and combined sexes were estimated as W=0.011TL2.90
(R2=0.947), W=0.004TL3.29 (R2=0.912), W=0.002TL3.52 (R2=0.947), W=0.003TL3.38 (R2=0.941),
respectively. The growth profile was found to be positive allometric, except for juveniles. The
von Bertalanffy growth parameters were calculated as L∞ = 32.991 cm, k= 0.181 years-1 and
t0= -1.928 years for combined sexes. The growth performance index was Ø’=5.286. Stomach
content of 190 specimens were examined 46 of which (24 %) were found containing undigested food. The diet composition consisted of larval and juvenile fish, copepods, shrimps,
and squids. Larval and juvenile stages of invasive Bregmaceros nectabanus were the most
dominant prey item occurring in the 95 % of the investigated specimens with full stomachs.
This provided a good example of how an invasive species became an important food item for
a native species and can restructure the marine food web.

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