Ageing Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): A comparative study between scales and otoliths

Khaled Y. Abouelfadl; Walid Aly; Alaa G.M. Osman

Authors

Khaled Y. Abouelfadl Aquatic Ecology Department, Faculty of Fish and Fisheries Technology, Aswan University, Egypt.
Walid Aly
[email protected]
Fisheries Biology Lab., Fisheries Division, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Egypt. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5961-8214
Alaa G.M. Osman Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University (Assiut Branch), Assiut, Egypt.

Vol. 8 No. 4 (2020): August

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August 25, 2020

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This study is the first to compare age estimates based on scales and otoliths of the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, from Lake Nasser, Egypt. Ageing precision between readers was estimated by calculating the percent agreement between three independent readers, and the coefï¬cient of variation (CV) ages estimated from otoliths and scales. The relation between the total length of fish and the radius of its scale and otolith was determined and appeared to be linear. The estimated age composition of the O. niloticus included six age groups estimated using scales and five age groups estimated by otoliths. The relative precision (CV and SD) of ages estimated from otolith was higher than that from scales. Higher percentages of agreement of overall annuli identification and age assignment between readers were noted in otoliths comparing to that in scales. Scale showed some inaccurate estimation in the age of fish older than 4. The precision and bias information in this study will be beneficial to fisheries professionals in assessing the age of Nile tilapia and other cichlids in the future.

Abouelfadl, K. Y., Aly, W., & Osman, A. G. (2020). Ageing Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): A comparative study between scales and otoliths. International Journal of Aquatic Biology, 8(4), 262–271. Retrieved from http://ij-aquaticbiology.com/index.php/ijab/article/view/914

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