Breeding properties of <i>Esox lucius</i> (L., 1758) living in Kapulukaya Dam Lake (Kirikkale, Turkey)

Abstract

This study involves the investigation of the breeding properties of Esox lucius (L., 1758) living in Kapulukaya Dam Lake in Turkey. It was observed that the fish reaches sexual maturity at the age of 3, and the breeding period starts in February and ends in March. The highest and lowest gonadosomatic index (GSI) values were determined in February and July, respectively. The average egg number per fish was estimated to be 19781.75 ± 12051.09. The relations between the fecundity (F), body length (L) and body weight (W) were found as F = 0.00137275 × L^2.675 (r = 0.85) and F = 32.38038307 × W^0.9564 (r = 0.87).

Keywords: Esox lucius, Northern pike, breeding, Kapulukaya Dam Lake, Turkey

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(34), pp. 5560-5565, 23 August, 2010