A Proposed Standard Weight Equation for Blue Suckers

Length and weight data were obtained from 46 populations of blue suckers Cycleptus elongatus ( N = 8,811 fish) across the species' geographic distribution to develop a standard weight ( W s ) equation. The W s equation was derived using the empirical percentile technique applied to fish between 240 and 809 mm total length (TL). We calculated a quadratic model and a linear model to derive W s . The proposed 75th‐percentile quadratic equation (metric units) is log 10 W s = −2.980 + 0.977 log 10 TL + 0.461(log 10 TL) 2 , where W s is expressed in grams and TL is expressed in millimeters. The proposed English‐equivalent 75th‐percentile quadratic equation is log 10 W s = −3.354 + 2.273 log 10 TL + 0.461(log 10 TL) 2 , where W s is expressed in pounds and TL is expressed in inches. The 75th‐percentile linear equation (metric units) is log 10 W s = −6.301 + 3.456 log 10 TL, and the proposed English equivalent is log 10 W s = −4.104 + 3.456 log 10 TL.