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Distribution, Relative Abundance, and Seasonality of Swordfish Larvae
Author(s) -
Grall Charlene,
De Sylva Donald P.,
Houde Edward D.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1983)112<235:draaso>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - swordfish , larva , seasonality , abundance (ecology) , geography , fishery , oceanography , biology , ecology , geology , tuna , fish <actinopterygii>
A survey of collections of 961 larval swordfish Xiphias gladius from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans was conducted to determine distribution and seasonality. Small larvae (< 10 mm standard length, SL) in the western north Atlantic were most abundant in the Straits of Florida and Straits of Yucatan; larger larvae (≥ 10 mm SL) were abundant in the Lesser Antilles. Larvae were present throughout the year in the western north Atlantic, mostly at stations where depths exceeded 200 m. In the western Pacific, larvae were abundant southeast of New Guinea and southeast of Japan. Most larvae were taken May through August in the north Pacific and December through January in the south Pacific. Accurate delineation of spawning grounds and seasons for swordfish through our larva survey was difficult due to the variety of capture methods and the unequal effort among areas.