Length-weight and length-length relationships of the bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus L., in the Turkish part of the eastern Mediterranean Sea

P>This study describes length-weight (LWR) and length-length relationships (LLR) of bluefin tuna (BFT), Thunnus thynnus, in the eastern Mediterranean (Levantine Sea). Fulton's condition factor (K) was also calculated for each standard length class for both sexes. A total of 363 specimens, 175 males and 188 females, were caught by purse-seine from late winter to early summer 2003 off Antalya Bay, Turkey. Fork length values of 175 BFT males were between 114 and 250 cm with an average of 159.3 cm +/- 2.14, and between 116 and 256 cm with an average of 163 cm +/- 2.26 in 188 females. LWRs indicated positive allometric growth in both males and females. The coefficient b ranged from a minimum 3.32 for males to a maximum of 3.35 for females. Results indicated that the LLRs were highly correlated (r2 > 0.99, P < 0.001). K values ranged from 1.45 to 2.11 (mean: 1.56 +/- 0.12) in males and from 1.43 to 2.14 (mean: 1.69 +/- 0.06) in females.