Length-Weight relationships of nine goatfish species (Teleostei: Mullidae) from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea

Goatfishes (Teleostei, Mullidae) are one group of mainly coastal fishes that form an important part of food chains, and also have commercial value. Mathematical models of fish growth provide an objective and practical method for description of growth parameters and estimation of fish weight at different time series. This study presents and describes length-weight relationships for nine goatfish species belonging to three genera of Mulloidichthys, Parupeneus and Upeneus collected from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. The slope (b) of LWRs for all mullid species fell within the expected range of 2-4 varying from 2.370 for Parupeneus heptacanthus to 3.179 for Upeneus vittatus basedson total length and from 2.391 for U. sundaicus to 3.804 for P. rubescens based on standard length, and r² values ranged from 0.927 for U. tragula to 0.992 for U. pori. All the LWRs were highly significant, with P<0.005.