## 3 Results
### Age-Length Compositions and Growth Rates  
The inner structure of sagittal otoliths of the black scorpionfish consisted of a wide opaque nucleus, surrounded by an alternating pattern of translucent and opaque zones. Of the 388 obtained otoliths, age counts were successfully agreed for 274 otoliths (70.6%), and the remaining 114 otoliths (29.4%) were discarded. The age-length composition estimated for fish caught in the Split area and Pag Island area is summarized in Table 3. In the Split area, most fish (76.8%) were estimated to be 2-5 years old, with a maximum age of 12 years. In the Pag Island area, 73.9% of aged specimens were between 3 and 5 years, with a maximum age of 11 years. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Major Taxa and Prey** & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**\%F**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**\%N**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**\%W**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**IRI**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**MFI**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Q**} \\ \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Items**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Split**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Pag**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Split**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Pag**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Split**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Pag**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Split**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Pag**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Split**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Pag**} \\  & **Area** & **Island** & **Area** & **Island** & **Area** & **Island** & **Area** & **Island** & **Area** & **Island** & **Area** & **Island** & **Area** & **Island** \\ \hline _Eriphia verrucosa_ & 14.06 & 1.61 & 11.36 & 1.43 & 12.27 & 2.63 & 332.34 & 6.54 & 155.98 & 3.99 & 139.43 & 3.75 \\ _Perturus latives_ & - & 1.61 & - & 1.43 & - & 1.63 & - & 4.93 & - & 2.48 & - & 2.33 \\ Portunidae unidentified & 1.56 & - & 1.14 & - & 0.81 & - & 3.04 & - & 1.09 & - & 0.92 & - \\ _Brachynotus_ sp. & 4.69 & 11.29 & 3.41 & 10.00 & 7.13 & 14.12 & 49.39 & 27.23 & 28.85 & 150.31 & 24.30 & 141.19 \\ Brachyura unidentified & 14.06 & 14.52 & 11.36 & 15.71 & 4.46 & 16.14 & 222.50 & 462.36 & 56.68 & 423.91 & 50.66 & 253.58 \\ Total Brachyura & 75.00 & 53.23 & 55.68 & 50.00 & 82.48 & 58.36 & 10362.29 & 5767.48 & 5389.45 & 3012.06 & 4592.75 & 2917.90 \\ Isopoda & & & & & & & & & & & & \\ _Isopoda_ sp. & 3.13 & - & 5.68 & - & 0.77 & - & 20.17 & - & 3.40 & - & 4.39 & - \\ Total Isopoda & 3.13 & - & 5.68 & - & 0.77 & - & 20.17 & - & 3.40 & - & 4.39 & - \\ Total Crustacea & 87.50 & 70.97 & 79.55 & 70.00 & 87.17 & 63.72 & 14587.49 & 9489.75 & 7280.57 & 4491.18 & 6933.87 & 4460.30 \\ Total ARTHROPODA & 87.50 & 70.97 & 79.55 & 70.00 & 87.17 & 63.72 & 14587.49 & 9489.75 & 7280.57 & 4491.18 & 6933.87 & 4460.30 \\ \hline ECHINODERMATA & & & & & & & & & & & & \\ _Echinoidal_ sp. & 1.56 & - & 1.14 & - & 0.26 & - & 2.19 & - & 0.36 & - & 0.30 & - \\ Total & 1.56 & - & 1.14 & - & 0.26 & - & 2.19 & - & 0.36 & - & 0.30 & - \\ ECHINODERMATA & & & & & & & & & & & & \\ \hline PISCES & & & & & & & & & & & & \\ _Symphphas melanogaster_ & - & 1.61 & - & 1.43 & - & 1.71 & - & 5.07 & - & 2.61 & - & 2.45 \\ _Symphadus_ sp. & - & 3.23 & - & 2.86 & - & 5.42 & - & 26.69 & - & 16.47 & - & 15.47 \\ _Golus_ sp. & - & 1.61 & - & 1.43 & - & 5.50 & - & 11.17 & - & 8.36 & - & 7.86 \\ _Atheria hpestus_ & - & 1.61 & - & 1.43 & - & 4.61 & - & 9.75 & - & 7.02 & - & 6.59 \\ Pisces unidentified & 3.13 & 6.45 & 2.27 & 7.14 & 4.42 & 11.38 & 20.93 & 119.53 & 11.94 & 77.38 & 10.05 & 81.32 \\ Total PISCES & 3.13 & 14.52 & 2.27 & 14.29 & 4.42 & 28.63 & 20.93 & 622.92 & 11.94 & 412.25 & 10.05 & 408.95 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: _Cont._The von Bertalanffy growth curves were fitted to age-length datasets estimated for fish from the Split area and Pag Island area (Figure 2). Estimated parameters for _S. porcus_ from the Split area and Pag Island area were L\({}_{\infty}\) = 60.94 cm, K = 0.03 year\({}^{-1}\), t\({}_{0}\) = \(-\)5.18 year (R\({}^{2}\) = 0.83) and L\({}_{\infty}\) = 41.99 cm, K = 0.06 year\({}^{-1}\), t\({}_{0}\) = \(-\)3.54 year (R\({}^{2}\) = 0.84), respectively.