Anchovy and Sardine juvenile growth determined using the Sardone protocol: the case of the Gulf of Lions

Abstract

This contribution is a first attempt for sardina (Sardina pilchardus) and anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) juveniles growth analysis in the Gulf of Lions. A first conclusion is that growth rates and increment widths are different depending on their hatching dates. Both clupeoid species growth is faster and higher when their hatch dates are closer to the warmer conditions, which is at the end of the spawning season for sardine and at the peak spawning for anchovy. In this period, environmental factors, such as SST, are more favorable for the early life stages growth.