Spawning seasonality and length at maturity of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) off the Pacific coast of Mexico

Agustín Hernández-H., Mauricio Ramírez-R.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

The seasons and spawning areas for sailfish Istiophorus platypterus along the Pacific coast of Mexico are described based on the histological analysis of ovarian samples, eye orbit fork length, and sex ratios for 867 sailfish. Sampling was conducted during 1989 to 1991 from sport fishing tournaments at the tourist ports of Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Barra de Navidad and Manzanillo. Five maturity stages are characterized and used to establish three degrees of reproductive activity that are correlated with the gonad index values. Sailfish reproduce during summer and fall, and sex ratios and percentages of mature females vary geographically.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)459-467
Number of pages9
JournalBulletin of Marine Science
Volume63
Issue number3
StatePublished - Nov 1998
Externally publishedYes

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