Weight-length relationships for 46 fish species of the Portuguese west coast

Abstract

Weight–length (W–L) relationships were estimated for 46 species of fish captured off the western Portuguese coast between April 1994 and September 1995. The best-represented family was Scyliorhinidae (2677 fishes), followed by Gadidae (1871), Sparidae (1682) and Merlucciidae (1108). The estimates for the parameter b of the W–L relationship (W = aLb) ranged between 2.171 and 3.873, with a median of 3.124. Significant variations in b were found at seasonal level for striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus), axillary seabream (Pagellus acarne), greater weever (Trachinus draco) and the sardine (Sardina pilchardus), at the regional level for Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), and between sexes for the small-spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula).