Growth and length–weight relationships of Sander lucioperca (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Alcántara Reservoir, south-western Spain: comparison with other water bodies in Eurasia

Summary Growth parameters in pikeperch may be affected by several factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the growth and length–weight of pikeperch in a reservoir in south-western Spain and compare the results with previous published data. Age and growth are described for Sander lucioperca from the Alcantara Reservoir (south-western Spain) from March to October 2009. A total of 285 fish were examined; the ratio of males to females was estimated as 0.78:1 and age ranges as 1–5 years. Total lengths ranged from 16.1 to 52.5 cm. The length–weight relationships were described as W = 0.00 462 TL3.09 (r = 0.9865) for males and W = 0.00279 TL3.16 (r = 0.9921) for females. Growth was expressed in length and the von Bertalanffy growth parameters were estimated as L∞ = 92.14 cm, k = 0.09, t0 = −1.05 for males and L∞ = 107.72 cm, k = 0.08, t0 = −1.16 for females. Growth performance indexes were also estimated as Φ’ = 2.88 for males and Φ’ = 2.96 for females. Differences in growth and length–weight relationships between sexes were not found.