Morphometric and biochemical composition of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896) collected from the Saros Bay (Çanakkale, Türkiye)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61326/jofbs.v6i1.05Keywords:
Carapace length/width-weight relationship, Meat yield, Biochemical compositionAbstract
In this study, the morphometric characteristics, and biochemical composition of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896) population found in the Saros Bay (Çanakkale, Türkiye) were evaluated. Carapace width and length-weight relationships (CWiWR and CLWR), as well as protein, lipid, ash, and moisture contents, were examined in the sampled crabs. It was observed that female crabs (72%) predominated in the population. The average carapace width of female crabs was found to be greater than that of male individuals. In this study, carapace length-weight relationship (CLWR) and carapace width-weight relationship (CWiWR) in blue crab individuals demonstrated different growth patterns between sexes. Female crabs exhibited negative allometric growth in both CLWR (b=1.809) and CWiWR (b=1.773) relationships, indicating that body dimensions increased at a faster rate than body weight. In contrast, male crabs showed an isometric growth pattern in the CLWR relationship (b=3.008), suggesting a proportional increase between carapace length and body weight during growth. However, the CWiWR relationship in males (b=2.525) indicated negative allometric growth. In addition, the relatively higher b values observed in males compared to females suggest that males tend to gain more body mass during development. The blue crab is an important species in terms of nutritional value due to its high protein content. It is believed that the species’ physiological characteristics, energy storage strategies, and reproductive cycle influence the variations in protein, lipid, and ash content among tissues.
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