The Population Dynamics menu was incorporated in the Reports menu in order to facilitate access to population dynamics data in FishBase, by Family. The four routines presented below provide Screen, Printer and File outputs and a bibliographic listing of all the reference sources used for the related tables. Note that the Screen option is interactive and a double-click on any row will bring information that is more detailed for a species. The Start button initiates the search for information for the specified family, directed to the specified output medium.

The Growth Parameters button provides a listing of the von Bertalanffy Growth Function (VBGF) parameter estimates: growth coefficient (K; year^-1), asymptotic length, (L¥ ; cm) and age at length zero (t₀; years).

The Maturity Information button provides a listing of the mean length (L_m) at first maturity, age at first maturity (t_m; years), the sex and length range of specimens used (cm).

The Natural Mortality button provides a listing of natural mortality estimates (M; year^-1), the method by which the estimate of M was obtained, the mean environmental temperature (°C), and the VBGF parameters K and L¥ .

The Length-Weight Relationships button provides a listing of regression coefficients (a) and (b), the length range of the specimens in the sample (cm), the number of specimens in the sample, and the coefficient of correlation (r) of the log-linear length-weight regression commonly used to estimate a and b, if any.

You get to this routine by clicking on the Reports button of the Main Menu window and clicking on the Population Dynamics by Family button in the PREDEFINED REPORTS window.

On the Internet, you can produce an overview of available information by area if you click on the Ecopath parameters radio button in the ‘Information by Topic’ section.

Rosa, H., Jr. 1965. Preparation of synopses on the biology of species of living aquatic organisms. FAO Fish. Synops. No. 1, Rev. 1. 75 p.