1,721,256 research outputs found

    Age determination and growth of juveniles of the European hake, Merluccius merluccius (L., 1758), in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea (NW Mediterranean).

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    The aim of the present study was to provide an estimation of growth of juvenile European hake, Merluccius merluccius (L., 1758) (OSTEICHTHYES; MERLUCCIIDAE), by means of the analysis of otolith daily increments. Hake specimens were collected during trawl surveys carried out in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea (NW Mediterranean). The sagittae were removed from hakes <= 20cm total length. Left otoliths were ground and polished to obtain thin frontal sections. Otolith microstructure was analysed under a compound green light-polarising microscope. A power Curve with intercept was fitted to the length-age data to describe the growth of M. merluccius. According to the growth curve, a mean length of 18 cm was reached at the end of the first year of life. The validation of the otolith increment periodicity was performed by means of two indirect methods

    Movements of three loggerhead sea turtles in Tuscany waters

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    The coastal waters along Tuscany (Central Italy) are thought to represent a good foraging ground for loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), especially, but not only, during the juvenile phase. We describe the movements of three juvenile loggerheads released along the Tuscany coast after having been accidentally caught by fishermen and rehabilitated by recovery centres of the region. The turtles were tracked by satellite for 20-125 days, displaying two main movement patterns. Two turtles remained in neritic coastal waters for the whole duration of tracking, while the third one moved north soon after release, reaching the northern Ligurian Sea with an open-sea route. These findings show that loggerheads can use Tuscany waters both as a profitable long-term foraging site and as a transit area during their movements towards other destinations
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