Relações morfométricas para o agulhão-vela, Istiophorus albicans, no Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

Sailfish, lstiophorus albicans, is the most exploited species among billfishes of the Family Istiophoridae in Northeast of Brazil. The objective of this paper is to determine the main morphometric relationships between length measurements and between weight and length for Istiophorus albicans captured off this region. Samples were collected from Augustl/1996 to March/1997 in fishing companies, research vessels, artisanal landings, commercial vessels and game fishing. Specimens have been caught by surface longline and gillnet, handline, and trolling. Total length - TL (cm), lower jaw-fork length - LJFL (cm), eye-keel length - EKL (cm), eye-fork length - EFL and dressed weight - Wd (kg) were determined for 126 specimens, ranging from 107 to 288 cm (TL) and from 12.9 to 28.8 kg (Wd). Relationships between these length measurements and between length and weight were significant. Comparison with relationships obtained for specimens off Brazilian South-Southeastern Region agrees with the presumption of just one population. However results are different from those obtained for sailfish from Northwestern Atlantic possibly indicating different populations.