Abstract
This paper investigates the basic reproductive parameters, ecology, and size structure of the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis. A total of 1217 individuals were sampled monthly from both offshore bottom trawling and inshore small-scale fishery off Mallorca Island’s coast (western Mediterranean) during 2017–2019. Inshore individuals were larger than the individuals inhabiting offshore and males were more abundant than females both inshore and offshore waters. The estimated size at first maturity (L50) was 87 mm for females and 78 mm for males. S. officinalis has a semi-continuous reproduction cycle throughout the year with a spawning peak between March and June. Oocyte size-frequency distribution (OSFD) analysis showed an asynchronous oocyte development. Advanced mode fecundity (FAM) ranged between 8 and 326 oocyte/female with a mean of 158 ± 14 oocyte/female. The Stomach Fullness Index (SFI) was found to decrease during reproductive development in inshore specimens, while the stomach vacuity index (SVI) followed the opposite trend for both inshore and offshore individuals, indicating a lessening of the feeding activity specially during spawning. However, once at shallower waters, spawning females displayed higher SFI values compared to males, which was probably linked to the higher energetic demand associated with reproduction. Digestive gland index (DGI) showed little variation in females across maturation stages, while males’ values decreased, especially during spawning, reflecting sexual differences in the energy allocation strategy. Those results suggest that common cuttlefish fulfil the cost of reproduction through both current food intake and accumulated somatic reserves.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
Data are held by the authors and are available upon request from the corresponding author.
References
Almonacid E (2006). “Contribución a la ecología de Sepia officinalis (Cephalopoda: Sepiidae) en Gran Canarias (Doctoral Thesis, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10553/2086.
Bettoso N, Borme D, Faresi L, Aleffi I, Orlando-Bonaca M, Lipej L (2016) New insights on the biological parameters of the exploited cuttlefish Sepia officinalis L. (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) in the northern Adriatic Sea in relation to the main fishing gears employed. Mediterranean Marine Sci 17(1):152. https://doi.org/10.1681/mms.1311
Bloor IS, Wearmouth VJ, Cotterell SP, McHugh MJ, Humphries NE, Jackson EL, Attrill MJ, Sims DW (2013) Movements and behaviour of European common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis in english channel inshore waters: first results from acoustic telemetry. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 448:19–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2013.06.013.´
Bloor IS (2012). The ecology, distribution and spawning behaviour of the commercially important common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) in the inshore waters of the English Channel (Doctoral Thesis, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom). Retrieved from https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/1494.
Boletzky SV (1987) Fecundity variation in relation to intermittent or chronic spawning in the cuttlefush, Sepia officinalis L. (Mollusca, Cephalopoda). Bull Mar Sci 40:382–387
Boletzky SV (1988) A new record of long-continued spawning in Sepia officinalis (Mollusca, Cephalopoda). Rapports De La Commission Internationales Pour L’exploration Scientifique De La Mer Méditerramée 31(2):257
Calow P (1979) The cost of reproduction - a physiological approach. Biol Rev 54:23–40
Castro BG, Guerra A (1990) The diet of Sepia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) and Sepia elegans (D’Orbigny, 1835) from the Ría de Vigo (NW Spain). Sci Mar 54(4):375–388
Castro BG, Garrido JL, Sotelo CG (1992) Changes in composition of digestive gland and mantle muscle of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis during starvation. Mar Biol 114:11–20
Clarke MR (1996) The role of cephalopods in the world’s oceans: general conclusions and the future. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B 351:1105–1112
Dunn MR (1999) Aspects of the stock dynamics and exploitation of cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758), in the english Channel. Fish Res 40:277–293
Duysak Ö, Özcan G, Çek Ş, Türeli C (2014) Reproductive biology of the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis Linnaeus, 1758) in Iskenderun Bay (Northeastern Mediterranean Sea). I J Geo-Marine Sci 43(9):1689–1694
Gabr HR, Hanlon R, Hanafy M, El-Etreby S (1999) Maturation, fecundity and seasonality of reproduction of two commercially valuable cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis and S. dollfusi, in the Suez Canal. Fish Res 36:99–115
Ganias K, Kompogianni IF (2022) Fecundity pattern and spawning dynamics of the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis. Mar Biol Res 17:853–861. https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2022.2032176
Gauvrit E, Le Goff R, Daguzan J (1997) Reproductive cycle of the cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis (L.) in the northern part of the Bay of Biscay. J Molluscan Stud 63:19–28
Gil MDM, Catanese G, Palmer M, Hinz H, Pastor E, Mira A, Grau A, Koleva E, Grau AM, Morales-Nin B (2018) Commercial catches and discards of a Mediterranean small-scale cuttlefish fishery: implications of the new EU discard policy. Sci Mar 82(S1):155–164. https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.04735.03B
Guerra A (2006) Ecology of Sepia officinalis. Vie Et Milieu 56(2):97–107
Guerra A, Castro BG (1988) On the life cycle of Sepia officinalis (Cephalopoda, Sepioidea) in the ria de Vigo (NW Spain). Cahier De Biologie Marine 29:395–405
Guerra A, Allcock L, Pereira J (2010) Cephalopod life history, ecology and fisheries : An introduction. Fish Res 106:117–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2010.09.002
ICES. 2010. Report of the Workshop on Sexual Maturity Staging of Cephalopods, 8–11 November 2010, Livorno, Italy. ICES CM 2010/ACOM: 49. 97 pp.
Keller S, Valls M, Hidalgo M, Quetglas A (2014) Influence of environmental parameters on the life-history and population dynamics of cuttlefish Sepia officinalis in the western Mediterranean. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 145:31–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2014.04.016
Khromov DN (1998) Distribution patterns of Sepiidae. In Voss NA, Vecchione M, Toll RB & sweeney MJ. systematics and biogeography of cephalopods. Smith Cont Zool 586:191–206
Laptikhovsky V, Salman A, Önsoy B & Katagan T (2003). Fecundity of the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis L. (Cephalopoda, Sepiidae): a new look at an old problem. Scientia Marina, 67 (3), 279-284.
Laptikhovsky V, Barrett C, Firmin C, Ouréns R (2019). Adaptations of the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis L. to cold water reproduction in the English Channel. Journal of Shellfish Research, 38 3: 1–6.
Lazzari P, Solidoro C, Ibello V, Salon S, Teruzzi A, Béranguer K, Colella S, Crise A (2012) Seasonal and inter-annual variability of plankton chlorophyll and primary production in the Mediterranean Sea: a modelling approach. Biogeosciences 9:217–133. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-217-2012
Le Goff R, Daguzan J (1991) Growth and life cycle of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis L. (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) in South Brittany (France). Bulletin of Marine Sciences 49:341–348
Lin D, Xuan S, Chen Z, Chen X (2019) The ovarian development, fecundity and hypothesis on spawning pattern of common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis off Mauritania. Fish Res 210:193–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2018.08.003
Mangold-Wirz (1963). Biologie des céphalopodes benthiques et nectoniques de la Mer Catalane. Vie Milieu 13:1–285
Neves A, Sequeira V, Vieira AR, Paiva R, Gordo LS (2009a) Feeding habits of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis during its life cycle in the sado estuary (Portugal). Hydrobiologia 636(1):479–488. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-9976-5
Neves A, Cabral H, Sequeira V, Figueiredo I, Moura T, Gordo LS (2009b) Distribution patterns and reproduction of the cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis in the Sado estuary (Portugal). J Mar Biol Assoc UK 89(3):579–584. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315409002677
Oellermann M, Pörtner HO, Mark FC (2012) Mitochondrial dynamics underlying thermal plasticity of cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) hearts. J Exper Bio 215:2992–3000. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.068163
Önsoy B, Salman A (2005) Reproductive biology of the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis L (Sepiida: Cephalopoda) in the Aegean Sea. Turkish J Veterinary Animal Sci 29(3):613–619
Palmer M, Tolosa B, Grau AM, Gil MDM, Obregón C, Morales-Nin B (2017) Combining sale records of landings and fishers knowledge for predicting métiers in a small-scale, multi-gear, multispecies fishery. Fish Res 195:59–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2017.07.001
Pereira F, Vasconcelos P, Moreno A, Gaspar MB (2019) Catches of Sepia officinalis in the small-scale cuttlefish trap fishery off the Algarve coast (southern Portugal). Fish Res 214:117–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2019.01.022
Pinczon Du Sel G, Blanc A & Daguzan J (2000). The diet of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis L. (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) during its life cycle in the Northern Bay of Biscay (France). Aquatic Sciences 62 (2) 167–178.
Quetglas A, Keller S, Massutí E (2015) Can Mediterranean cephalopod stocks be managed at MSY by 2020? the Balearic Islands as a case study. Fishery Management Ecol 221:349–358. https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12131
Quetglas A, Merino G, Ordines F, Guijarro B, Garau A, Grau AM, Oliver P, Massutí E (2016) Assessment and management of western Mediterranean small-scale fisheries. Ocean Coast Manag 133:95–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2016.09.013
Quintela J, Andrade JP (2002) Diel feeding rhythms, daily ration and gastric evacuation rates of Sepia officinalis in the Ria Formosa lagoon (South Portugal). Bull Mar Sci 71:665–680
Richard A (1968) Mise en évidence de l’action de la lumière dans le déterminisme de la ponte chez le Céphalopode Sepia officinalis L. Compte Rendus De L’académie Des Sciences 272:106–109
Rocha F, Guerra A, González A (2001) A review of reproductive strategies in cephalopods. Biol Rev 76:291–304
Saddikioui L, Mazouz M & Abi-Ayad SMEA (2017). First data on reproduction and growth parameters of the cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis L.) in Oran Bay (western Algeria coasts). International Journal of Biosciences https://doi.org/10.12692/ijb/10.5.75-84.
Speers-Roesch B, Callaghan NI, MacCormack TJ, Lamarre SG, Sykes AV, Driedzic WR (2016) Enzymatic capacities of metabolic fuel use in cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) and responses to food deprivation: insight into the metabolic organization and starvation survival strategy of cephalopods. J Comp Physiol B 186:711–725
Stephens PA, Houston AI, Harding KC, Boyd IL, Mcnamara JM (2014) Capital and income breeding: the role of food supply. Ecol Society Am 95(4):882–896. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1434.1
Thorsen A, Kjesbu OS (2001) A rapid method for estimation of oocyte size and potential fecundity in Atlantic cod using a computer-aided particle analysis system. J Sea Res 46(3–4):295–308
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their gratitude to the fishermen from Picasseu and Nadal Primer commercial vessels for their help on board, the fish auction market of Mallorca (Balearic Islands), and Miguel Angel Cortés (observer on board) for their collaboration in obtaining the samples.
Funding
This project has been co-funded by the EU through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) within the National Program of collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
AR: conceptualization; data curation; formal analysis; investigation; validation; methodology; roles/writing—original draft; writing—review and editing. UFA: conceptualization; funding acquisition; data curation; formal analysis; investigation; methodology; project administration; resources; supervision; validation; visualization; roles/writing—original draft; review and editing. TQ: resources; supervision; validation; visualization; roles/writing—original draft; review and editing. MV: conceptualization; funding acquisition; data curation; formal analysis; investigation; methodology; project administration; resources; supervision; validation; visualization; roles/writing—original draft; review and editing.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Ethical approval
This research was carried out in accordance with all applicable institutional guidelines at the time that the study was conducted.
Consent for publication
All authors reviewed, edited, and approved the manuscript for submission.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: R. Rosa.
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Rico, A., Fernandez-Arcaya, U., Quetglas, T. et al. Reproductive traits and feeding activity of the commercially exploited common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis L. (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) in the Balearic Islands. Mar Biol 170, 69 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-023-04213-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-023-04213-4