Stock identification of Arabian yellow fin sea bream (Acanthopagrus arabicus) using shape of otolith in the Northern Persian Gulf and Oman Sea

Otolith shape analysis is one way to identify stocks of different fish species in the marine environment. Length, width, area, perimeter, form factor, aspect ratio, roundness, circularity, ellipticity and rectangularity analyses of otoliths were undertaken to assess patterns of spatial and temporal stock structure of a wide-ranging fish, the Arabian yellow fin sea bream Acanthopagrus arabicus. Fish were sampled from 125 stations across the distribution range of the species in the Northern Persian Gulf and Oman Sea from June 2014 to May 2016. Analysis of morphometric parameters of otolith showed the minimum size in Khuzestan waters and the West Strait of Hormuz and the maximum size in the East Strait of Hormuz. In Bushehr waters, form factor showed the lowest and circular factor showed the highest frequency. These findings are in agreement with the irregularity in otolith margin of this area. The highest aspect ratio of otolith indicated higher growth in Khuzestan Waters. The thinner and longer otoliths were identified in the East Strait of Hormuz region. Further, rectangularity ratio factor in the Bushehr and West Strait of Hormuz waters was higher in comparison with other regions and this finding confirmed the quadrilateral otolith shape of this region. There are significant differences among otolith morphometric variables of the A. arabicus (p<0.05). The result of discriminant analysis on morphometric parameters indicated that 53/8 percent were in their geographic location accurately.