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Reproductive condition, spawning season, batch fecundity and spawning fraction of skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis caught around Amami-Oshima, Kagoshima, Japan

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Abstract

To illustrate the spawning characteristics of skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, we examined seasonal changes in the histological condition of gonads, spawning fraction, and batch fecundity (BF) of skipjack tuna caught around Amami-Oshima in the northern Nansei Islands, Japan, from May 2011 to July 2013. Females classified as “mature” appeared from June to October, and mature males were present from April to November. Spawning began in June when the sea surface temperature (SST) exceeded 24 °C and peaked in August. Although the SST was still above 24 °C, spawning ended in September when the SST started decreasing continuously. The minimum size (fork length, FL) at first maturity was 40.5 cm for females and 37.6 cm for males. The BF (mean ± SD) and relative batch fecundity (RBF) were estimated at 93,700 ± 21,800 oocytes and 56.8 ± 14.3 oocytes/g, respectively. The total spawning fraction (spawning intervals) during the spawning season was estimated at 0.53 (1.88 days). These results indicate that the spawning activity of skipjack tuna around Amami-Oshima changes seasonally depending on SST.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the staff of the Setouchi Fisheries Cooperative Association and the Kagoshima Prefectural Fisheries Technology and Development Center for their cooperation in fish measurement and sampling. We also thank T. Tanabe (Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute) and H. Okamoto (National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries) for valuable comments about our manuscript. This research was made possible by a grant from the Japan Fisheries Agency.

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  1. National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, Fisheries Research Agency, Shizuoka, Shimizu, 424-8633, Japan

    Hiroshi Ashida

  2. Kagoshima Prefectural Fisheries Technology and Development Center, Kagoshima, Ibusuki, 891-0315, Japan

    Masahiro Horie

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  1. Hiroshi Ashida
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  2. Masahiro Horie
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Correspondence to Hiroshi Ashida.

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Ashida, H., Horie, M. Reproductive condition, spawning season, batch fecundity and spawning fraction of skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis caught around Amami-Oshima, Kagoshima, Japan. Fish Sci 81, 861–869 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-015-0909-0

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