Age, growth, mortality, and exploitation rate of blueline snapper, Lutjanus coeruleolineatus (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Lutjanidae), from Dhofar Governorate, Sultanate of Oman

The blueline snapper, Lutjanus coeruleolineatus (Ruppell, 1838), is a significant commercial fish species harvested from the traditional fishery in the Sultanate of Oman. Deficient data on this species, however, make the management strategies challenging, especially in fisheries ecology. A total of 978 specimens were obtained from Dhofar Governorate off the coast of the Arabian Sea during the period between February 2015 and March 2016. In total, 296 sectioned otoliths were analyzed and growth was estimated from non-seasonal growth by using von Bertalanffy method. The parameters of von Bertalanffy growth function, total mortality (Z), natural mortality (M), fishing mortality (F), and exploitation rate (E) were determined and compared with those for Lutjanidae fishes elsewhere. The age structure of male fishes was between 1 and 14 years for males while the age of females ranged from 1 to 18 years. Growth rate (K) was 0.21 y(-1) and 0.16 y(-1) for males and females, respectively. The hypothetical length of female (L-infinity = 46 cm) was relatively higher than that of male (L-infinity = 42 cm). The natural mortality (M) was 0.296, total mortality (Z) was 0.372, fishing mortality was 0.076, and exploitation rate (E) was estimated as 0.2. The presently reported study is conducted to examine this fish in relation to growth parameters by analyzing otolith structure. The results of the presently reported study will contribute towards planning the regional fishery management policies in Oman.