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Reproduction, age and growth of Sillago maculata in south‐eastern Australia

Reproduction, age and growth of Sillago maculata in south‐eastern Australia Summary Sillago maculata is endemic to the east coast of Australia where it is harvested by recreational and commercial fishers; however, little is known of the important aspects of its biology and ecology to assist with fisheries management planning. This situation is redressed here by investigating aspects of the reproduction, age and growth of estuarine populations of S. maculata in south‐eastern Australia. Gonadosomatic index (GSI) values indicated peak spawning occurred between September and February and that the estimated mean fork length at maturity (L50) was 14.6 cm for males and 15.2 cm for females. Females displayed an asynchronous pattern of oocyte development, with individuals probably spawning multiple times in a spawning season. A validated aging protocol using thin sectioned otoliths was used to estimate the age of fish. The maximum ages for males and females were 9.5 and 12.0 years, respectively. Growth differed between sexes, with males (L∞ = 24.04, K = 0.70, t0 = −0.09) attaining a smaller maximum length than females (L∞ = 25.01, K = 0.72, t0 = −0.04). The age composition of gill‐net and beach‐seine samples mainly consisted of individuals aged 2–4 years, and there was evidence of variable recruitment. Management implications are also discussed. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Applied Ichthyology Wiley

Reproduction, age and growth of Sillago maculata in south‐eastern Australia

Journal of Applied Ichthyology , Volume 25 (5) – Oct 1, 2009

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References (32)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Verlag, Berlin
ISSN
0175-8659
eISSN
1439-0426
DOI
10.1111/j.1439-0426.2009.01252.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Summary Sillago maculata is endemic to the east coast of Australia where it is harvested by recreational and commercial fishers; however, little is known of the important aspects of its biology and ecology to assist with fisheries management planning. This situation is redressed here by investigating aspects of the reproduction, age and growth of estuarine populations of S. maculata in south‐eastern Australia. Gonadosomatic index (GSI) values indicated peak spawning occurred between September and February and that the estimated mean fork length at maturity (L50) was 14.6 cm for males and 15.2 cm for females. Females displayed an asynchronous pattern of oocyte development, with individuals probably spawning multiple times in a spawning season. A validated aging protocol using thin sectioned otoliths was used to estimate the age of fish. The maximum ages for males and females were 9.5 and 12.0 years, respectively. Growth differed between sexes, with males (L∞ = 24.04, K = 0.70, t0 = −0.09) attaining a smaller maximum length than females (L∞ = 25.01, K = 0.72, t0 = −0.04). The age composition of gill‐net and beach‐seine samples mainly consisted of individuals aged 2–4 years, and there was evidence of variable recruitment. Management implications are also discussed.

Journal

Journal of Applied IchthyologyWiley

Published: Oct 1, 2009

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