Determination of growth and feeding characteristics of Chelon auratus (Yellow Ear Mullet) distributed in Yumurtalik bay (Eastern Mediterranean)

In this study, feeding and growth characteristics of juvenile individuals of Chelon aurata, which is one of the target species of commercial fishing in Yumurtalık Bay, were investigated. Samples were obtained from individuals caught in the runaround gillnet operation between 07.03.2020 and 20.07.2020 in Yumurtalık Bay. A total of 812 mullet individuals were caught in 15 fishing operations. Systematic determinations have shown that more than 96% (782) of these individuals are Chelon auratus species. Other species identified in the sampling are Chelon saliens, Chelon labrosus, Liza carinata, Mugil cephalus and Oedalechilus labeo. The growth and stomach contents of 34 Chelon aurata individuals subsampled in the laboratory were examined. The result was obtained in the growth parameters L_∞=29.11cm,K=0.61 〖yıl〗^(-1),t_o=-0.34 years calculated by the regression technique. Food groups representing 5 of 7 kingdoms (Bacteria, Protozoa, Chromista, Animalia, Plantae) were determined in the stomach content of the species. The most common food groups in the stomach; Foraminifera, Gastropoda, Ostracoda and Bivalvia were observed. It was also concluded that Chelon auratus fed more intensively in spring than in summer.