Total and partial length-length, mass-mass and mass-length relationships for the piked spurdog (Squalus megalops) in south-eastern Australia

Abstract

Common commercial fishing practices of eviscerating, beheading and finning sharks create the need for using conversion factors from partial lengths to total length and from partial masses to total mass. In the present paper, these conversion factors were calculated for Squalus megalops. In addition, total and partial length–length and mass–length relationships of male and female S. megalops were compared using different ranges of size. There was no effect of size range on measurements reflecting only somatic growth (fork and carcass lengths; carcass, pectoral fin and caudal fin masses) but for variables reflecting somatic and reproductive growth (total and liver masses), different outcomes can be expected when different ranges of size are compared.