Understanding age and growth in marine bivalves is essential for interpreting population dynamics and environmental responses. The analysis of sclerochronological growth increments within internal shell layers provides a reliable approach for reconstructing age and growth history and preserves long-term records of environmental variability and stress. This study presents the first assessment of age structure and growth history...

Introduction Pearl oyster ecosystems have played a central role in Bahrain’s marine economy and cultural heritage for centuries. Despite their ecological importance, systematic research on Bahrain’s pearl oyster beds is lacking since the early 1990s. In this study a detailed assessment of the benthic composition, pearl oyster community structure, population size, and pearl yield on pearl oyster beds is provided for Bahraini wa...