Title: Length-weight relationship and growth parameters of the commercial fish <i>Pagellus erythrinus</i> (Linnaeus, 1758) (Actinopterygii: Sparidae) from northern and southern Tunisia
Abstract: Abstract Based on length, weight, and age data, we examined allometry and growth parameters for common pandora, Pagellus erythrinus , commercially collected seasonally from northern and southern Tunisian coasts in 2007. A total of 370 specimens (14–27.5 cm in length) were used to assess the allometric variation at seasonal scales. The slope b values (regression coefficient) of the length-weight relationship varied between 2.494 to 3.237, indicating (roughly) an isometric to negative allometric growth pattern. The allometric relationship, as a proxy for fish condition, seems to be affected by seasons and sex in the northern population, while only seasons seem to have a strong effect in the southern population, as indicated by ANOVA. The von Bertalanffy growth parameters were identified at L ∞ = 34.076 and 28.017 cm, k = 0.153 and 0.150/year, and t 0 = −1.922 and −3.961 years for the northern and southern sample, respectively.