Age and growth of Abu Mullet, Planiliza abu (Heckel, 1843), in Karun River, Southwestern Iran

A total of 460 specimens of Planiliza abu(Heckel, 1843) were collected from the Karun River of Khuzestan Province, Iran (November 2016-September 2017).Sex ratio was 1:1.06 male to female which was not significantly different (P>0.05).The average condition factor for males and female was 1.34 and showed no significant difference among different months in both sexes (P>0.05). The total length range was 9.3-17.3cm (13.18±1.35), and the total weight 10.3-71.28g (31.05±9.22).The maximum age based on scale readings was 7+years for females and males. The most frequent age groups were 4+in both sexes. The total length-weight relation for females was W=0.03TL2.63(R2=0.88) and for males was W=0.02TL2.72(R2=0.91), indicating a negative allometric pattern for females and males. The Von Bertalanffy growth model was estimated as Lt=11.90[1-e 0.21(t-2.26)] and Lt=13.45[1-e-0.66(t-3.67)] for males and females, respectively. The growth performance index (Ф') value was 3.39 in males and 4.79 in females, indicating a faster growth rate in females.