Application of von Bertalanffy growth curves in a Farfantepenaeus paulensis (Decapoda, Penaeidae) captive broodstock

Abstract

The aim off the present study was to analyze the growth Farfantepenaeus paulensis juveniles captured in the Patos Lagoon Estuary (Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil), by fitting the von Bertalanffy growth model. Estuary-caught juveniles with mean weight (± SD)of 9.7 ± 2.3 and 7.5 ±2.3g for mamales and males, respectively, werw mantained indoors at a density of 7.3 srimp / m²for 279 days by which time they had exceeded the minimum size for reproduction (32.50 ± 5.14g for femalis and 21.55 ±2.15g for males). Modal progression analysis and the von Bertalanffy growth model were used to estimative weigth (W) and carapace length (Lc)growth curver for females and males, as follows: The growth curves were coherent with published information for F. paulensis and other panaeids, and provide a tool for aquaculture management and research.