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Reproductive biology of wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri, off eastern Australia

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Abstract

A dearth of basic biological information for wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri, currently hinders the ability of scientists and managers to assess population sustainability and appropriately manage the dramatically increasing global catch. This study examined the gonads of 382 wahoo collected off eastern Australia during 2008–2011 to quantify their reproductive biology in the region. The overall sex ratio of the sample was 3.2:1 (females:males), however this differed significantly among fishing sectors and areas. The estimated fork length at which 50 % of female wahoo reach maturity was 1,046 mm. Similar to the Atlantic Ocean, female wahoo have a protracted summer spawning season during October-February. The mean spawning frequency of female wahoo was uncertain but may be approximately 2–3 days, with evidence of fish actively spawning on consecutive days. Batch fecundity of females was positively correlated with fish size and estimates ranged between 0.65 and 5.12 million oocytes. Relative fecundity was estimated at 122.0 (±9.7) oocytes per gram of ovary free body weight and did not differ with fish size or throughout the spawning season. Estimation of reproductive parameters such as size- and age-at-maturity may facilitate the construction of per-recruit stock assessments of wahoo in the region.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the numerous commercial, charter and recreational fishers that donated samples for this research. We also thank S. Hall, W. Hagedoorn, J. Cavallaro, B. Lamason and G. Heilmann for assisting with the logistics of sample collection, storage and freight. B. Gilby, B. Lockett, J. Lerner, M. O’Haire, N. Silvana Santini González and A. Heemsoth assisted with laboratory dissections. T. van der Velde is thanked for assistance with histological procedures. This research was funded by the Winifred Violet Scott Estate and an Ethel Mary Reid grant from the Royal Zoological Society of NSW. M.T.Z was funded by a University of Queensland Research Scholarship, with support provided by CSIRO Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research. This research was approved by The University of Queensland Animal Ethics Committee (approval number CMS/884/08/FRDC/URG).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Mitchell T. Zischke & Ian R. Tibbetts

  2. CSIRO Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research, GPO Box 2583, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia

    Mitchell T. Zischke

  3. CSIRO Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia

    Jessica H. Farley

  4. CSIRO Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia

    Shane P. Griffiths

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  1. Mitchell T. Zischke
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  2. Jessica H. Farley
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  3. Shane P. Griffiths
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  4. Ian R. Tibbetts
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Correspondence to Mitchell T. Zischke.

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Zischke, M.T., Farley, J.H., Griffiths, S.P. et al. Reproductive biology of wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri, off eastern Australia. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 23, 491–506 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-013-9304-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-013-9304-z

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