Biometry markers of chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus Houttuyn, 1782, in the Adriatic Sea

Abstract

         The aim of the study was to present biometric analyses of chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus Houttuyn, 1782, from catch samples caught in the eastern Adriatic Sea between January 1998 and December 2008. Nine morphometric and eight meristic characters were analysed. The fork length (FL) of all observed specimens (N=4,157) ranged from 10.1 to 39.1 cm (mean ± SD: 23.8 ± 4.68 cm). All analysed length-length relationships were linear with high values of the coefficients of determination (r2>0.750). Males had significantly larger body depth than females as well as significantly larger number of soft rays in the pectoral fin; therefore, the possibility of sexual dimorphism was noted.