AGE AND GROWTH OF THE PACIFIC SARDINE SARDINOPS CAERULEUS (PISCES: CLUPEIDAE) AT ISLA DE CEDROS, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO, DURING 1985 AND 1986

Abstract

Monthly samples of pacific sardine Sardinops caeruleus (Pisces: Clupeidae) were taken during 1985 and 1986 from the commercial fleet that operates in isla de Cedros, Baja California, México; 2609 organisms were measured and 994 pairs of otoliths were collected in order to estimate the age through reading of opaque and hyaline bands. Eighty-seven percent of the otoliths were readable, finding organisms up to five years old. In the 1985 commercial capture two year old sardines were the most abundant, but in 1986 the three year old sardines were the dominant group. The size ranged between 135 mm and 230 mm standard length; the modal size was 170 mm in 1985 and 190 mm in 1986. The growth of the pacific sardine is very fast, reaching 140 mm of standard length during the first year. The estimate of the parameters of Bertalanffy growth model for this period was: 1-ÿ=198.52 mm, k=1.14 and to=0.012.