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Reproductive strategies of a temperate Australian sciaenid (teraglin, Atractoscion atelodus )
Author(s) -
Hegarty AnneMarie,
Stewart John,
Gladstone William
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of applied ichthyology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.392
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1439-0426
pISSN - 0175-8659
DOI - 10.1111/jai.14246
Subject(s) - fecundity , biology , temperate climate , vitellogenesis , fish measurement , population , life history theory , fishery , life history , zoology , ecology , demography , oocyte , fish <actinopterygii> , embryo , sociology
Summary Worldwide there have been declines in stocks of exploited sciaenids. Despite a long history of exploitation, there has been no study of the life history characteristics of the fishery‐important sciaenid, teraglin, Atractoscion atelodus . This study describes the reproductive characteristics of A . atelodus within the major area of its distribution and fishery, New South Wales (NSW) Australia. Characteristics studied included the size and age at maturity, fecundity, spawning mode and season, and these are compared to congeneric species. Atractoscion atelodus displays year‐round batch spawning behaviour with asynchronous oocyte development and indeterminate fecundity. This is unusual for sciaenids, which typically display spring‐summer spawning and only over a few months. The length and age at which 50% of the population matures for both males and females is 36 cm fork length (FL) and 1 year, a smaller size compared to other closely related sciaenids. While the species displays resilient reproductive characteristics such as protracted year‐round spawning, constant supply of vitellogenic oocytes and relatively small/young age at maturity, there are also characteristics that make it susceptible to over‐exploitation. These include highly female skewed sex ratios, as well as their schooling and voracious feeding behaviour leading to the potential for high catch rates.