Length-Weight Relationships of 52 Species from the South of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea)

The Length-Weight relationships (LWRs) of 52 species (14 never reported before) of fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods living on the shelf and upper slope off Southern Sicily are provided. Data were collected in the framework of the International bottom trawl survey in the Mediterranean (MEDITS) in the South of Sicily (Central Mediterranean), covering a time frame ranging from 2012 to 2019. Linear regressions were significant for all species (p < 0.05) with R-2 values ranging from 0.86 to 0.99. The intercept (a) of LWRs ranged from 0.0003 to 0.4677, while the slope (b) ranged from 2.1281 to 3.306. The Welch t-test, used to evaluate differences between the obtained LWRs with those reported in the literature, revealed that most of the LWRs (about 55%) reported in this study are in disagreement with those obtained previously by other authors from the Strait of Sicily. It is expected that the results obtained from this study will contribute to filling the knowledge gap of fish populations in this area and also assist fisheries scientists in future stock assessment studies.

Automated summary

This study provides the Length-Weight relationships (LWRs) of 52 species off the Southern Sicily, and compares them with previous research. The results show discrepancies with the LWRs reported in previous studies. These findings are important for filling the knowledge gap of fish populations in the area and assisting future stock assessment studies.