The otolith measurements relationships with fish size and weight in five Sillaginid species from the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea

The relationships between otolith measurements and fish length (total length) and total weight in five Sillaginid species, Sillago arabica, Sillago attenuata, , Sillago indica, Sillago sihama and Sillaginopodys chondropus, are estimated. Results revealed a strong correlation between otolith measurements and fish length and weight in all five species (p< 0.05; R-2 from 0.76 to 0.95). Comparing relative otolith size within species, S. chondropus otoliths were smaller than those of other Sillaginid species. The strongest relationships appeared between otolith weight (OWE) and fish length in S. arabica and S. chondropus (R-2 = 0.93 and 0.95, respectively), while otolith length was most strongly related to fish length in the other three species (R-2= 0.83- 0.92). Results showed that body size estimation through analyses of otoliths size is reliable for the five studied Sillaginid species, and the provided data could be useful baseline information for further biological, ecological and stock assessment studies of Sillaginid species in the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea.