Abstract

A total of 32 the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis Linnaeus, 1758) on the rocky shores of 0-5 m depths in Ordu province in the southern Black Sea were carried out in order to evaluate morphometric aspects and growth parameters. The shell length (SL), shell width (SWi), shell thickness (ST) and shell weight (SW), total weight (W) and meat weight (MW) were measured in this study. The mean SL of the collected individuals was measured as 69.49 ± 27.10 mm (min: 22.4, max: 145.8). Moreover, the average body weight was estimated to be 66.19 ± 60.78 g (1.5–241.7). The calculated “b” value of O.edulis is less than 3 and the growth was negative allometric. This study presents the first morphometric properties of European flat oyster in the southern Black Sea. In addition, this is the first study conducted for O. edulis in the Black Sea and the maximum sizes given for the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Sea.