Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Age and growth of sailfish Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw in Shaw and Nodder, 1792) from Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

  • Published:
Environmental Biology of Fishes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Age and growth of the sailfish Istiophorus platypterus were determined for the area off Mazatlan coast, Sinaloa, in the Gulf of California, between September 2002 and August 2003. The lower jaw-fork length and total weight of 572 specimens were measured, and the fourth dorsal spine was collected to determine age. The monthly variation of the sample size displayed a well-defined seasonal pattern, which peaked during the warm period (May–November) and declined during the rest of the year (temperate period). Significant differences were detected in the size structure by sex during the temperate period, with females displaying larger sizes and greater abundance (Female:Male = 3.35:1). In the warm period the size structure was similar, with the sex ratio reaching F:M = 0.73:1. This suggests a different sex-related recruitment in the fishing zone, with males moving more actively than females. While female size remained relatively unchanged over the year, male size increased during the warm period. Age was estimated using the number of growth rings on the cross-sectioned fourth dorsal spine, after the number of absorbed growth rings in the vascularized zone had been estimated. Nine age groups were identified; group-5 was the most abundant, representing 31% of the catch. The trend of the monthly change in the percentage of opaque-edge spines and the average of the marginal increase rate indicated that the formation of growth rings displayed an annual pattern. The von Bertalanffy growth model was adequately fitted to age and back-calculated length data. Significant differences were detected when growth was compared between sexes; females grew faster than males.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alvarado-Castillo R, Félix-Uraga R (1996) Determinación de la edad de Istiophorus platypterus al sur del Golfo de California, México. Rev Biol Trop 44:233–239

    Google Scholar 

  • Alvarado-Castillo RM, Félix-Uraga R (1998) Growth of Istiophorus platypterus (Pisces: Istiophoridae) from the south of the Gulf of California. Rev Biol Trop 46:115–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Beamish RJ, Fournier DA (1981) A method for comparing the precision of a set of age determinations. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 38:982–983

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkeley SA, Houde EH (1983) Age determination of broadbill swordfish, Xiphiias gladius, from the straits of Florida, using anal fin spine section: In: Prince ED, Pulos LM (eds) Proceedings of the international workshop on age determination of oceanic pelagic fishes: Tunas, billfishes and sharks, US Dep Commer, NOAA Tech Rep NMFS-8, pp 137–143

  • Campana SE (2001) Accuracy, precision and quality control in age determination, including a review of the use and abuse of age validation methods. J Fish Biol 59:197–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiang WC, Sun CL, Yeh SZ (2004) Age and growth of sailfish (Istiophorus playtypterus) in waters off eastern Taiwan. Fish Bull 102:251–263

    Google Scholar 

  • De Sylva DP (1957) Studies on the age and growth of the Atlantic sailfish Istiophorus amercianus (Cuvier), using length frequency curves. Bull Mar Sci Gulf Caribb 7:1–20

    Google Scholar 

  • DeMartini EE, Uchiyama JH, Humphreys RL Jr, Sampaga JD, Williams HA (2007) Age and growth of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) caught by the Hawaii-based pelagic longline fishery. Fish Bull 105:356–367

    Google Scholar 

  • DOF (1995) Diario oficial de la federación. Norma oficial mexicana NOM-017-PESC-1994, Publicado el 9 de mayo de 1995

  • DOF (2004) Diario oficial de la federación. Carta Nacional Pesquera, Publicado el 15 de marzo de 2004

  • Duncan KW (1980) On the back-calculation of fish lengths; modifications and extensions to the Fraser-Lee equation. J Fish Biol 16:725–730

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis RICC (1990) Back-calculation of fish length: a critical review. J Fish Biol 36:883–902

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez-Armas R, Klett-Traulsen A, Hernandez-Herrera A (2006) Evidence of billfish reproduction in the southern Gulf of California, Mexico. Bull Mar Sci 79(3):705–717

    Google Scholar 

  • Haddon M (2001) Modeling and quantitative methods in fisheries. Chapman and Hall/CRC, Florida, p 406

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayashi Y (1976) Studies on the growth of the red tilefish in the East China sea-I. A fundamental consideration for age determination from otoliths. Bull Jap Soc Sci Fish 42:1237–1242

    Google Scholar 

  • Hedgepeth M, Jolley JW Jr (1983) Age and growth of sailfish Istiophorus platypterus, using cross sections from the fourth dorsal fin spine. In: Prince ED, Pulos LM (eds) Proceedings of the international workshop on age determination of oceanic pelagic fishes: Tunas, billfishes and sharks. US Dep Commer, NOAA Tech Rep NMFS-8, pp 131–136

  • Hernández-Herrera A (2001) Biología del pez vela (Istiophorus platypterus, Shaw y Nodder, 1791) al Sur del Golfo de California, México. PhD Thesis, Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas del Noroeste, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México

  • Hernández-Herrera A, Ramírez-Rodríguez M (1998) Spawning seasonality and length at maturity of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) off the coast of Mexico. Bull Mar Sci 63:459–465

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill KT, Cailliet GM, Radtke RL (1989) A comparative analysis of growth zones in four calcified structures of Pacific blue marlin, Makaira nigricans. Fish Bull 87:829–843

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoolihan JP (2006) Age and growth of Indo-Pacific sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, from the Arabian Gulf. Fish Res 78:218–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jolley JW Jr (1977) The biology and fishery of Atlantic Sailfish Istiophorus platypterus, from Southeast Florida. Fla Mar Res Publ 28:1–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Jolley JW Jr (1974) On the biology of Florida east coast Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) In: Shomura RS, Williams F (eds) Proceedings of the international billfish symposium, Kailua-Kona. Hawaii, 9–12 august 1972, part 2, Review and contributed papers, US Dep Commer, NOAA Tech Rep NMFSSSRF-675, pp 81–88

  • Kopf RK, Drew K, Humphreys RL Jr (2010) Age estimation of billfishes (Kajikia spp.) using fin spine cross-sections: the need for an international code of practice. Aquat Living Resour 23:13–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koto T, Kodama K (1962) Some considerations on the growth of marlins, using size-frequencies in commercial catches. I. Attempts to estimate the growth of sailfish. Rep Nankai Reg Fish Res Lab 15:97–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Kume S, Joseph J (1969) Size composition and sexual maturity of billfish caught by the Japanese longline fishery in the Pacific Ocean East of 130°W. Bull Far Seas Fish Res lab (Shimizu) 2:115–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Lai HL, Gallucci VF, Gunderson DR (1996) Age determination in fisheries: methods and applications to stock assessment. In: Gallucci VF, Saila SB, Gustafson DJ, Rothschild BJ (eds) Stock assessment: quantitative methods and applications for small-scale fisheries. Lewis Publishers, New York, pp 82–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Macías-Zamora R, Vidaurri-Sotelo AL, Santana-Hernández H, Valdez-Flores JJ, Beltrán-Pimienta R (2000) Pez Vela. In: Anónimo (ed) Sustentabilidad y Pesca Responsable en México. Evaluación y Manejo 1999–2000. INP-SEMARNAP, Mexico, DF, pp 389–410

  • Nakamura I (1985) FAO species catalogue. Billfish of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of marlins, sailfishes, spearfishes, and swordfishes known to date. FAO Fish Synop 125(5):65

    Google Scholar 

  • Prince ED, Lee DW, Wilson CA, Dean JM (1984) Progress in estimating age of blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, and white marlin, Tetrapturus albidus, from the western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, to Gulf of Mexico. Int Comm Conserv Atl Tunas Collect Vol Sci Pap, Madrid 20(2): 435–447

  • Prince ED, Lee DW, Wilson CA, Dean JM (1986) Longevity and age validation of a tag-recaptured Atlantic sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus using dorsal spine and otholits. Fish Bull 84(3):493–502

    Google Scholar 

  • Radtke RL, Dean DM (1981) Morphological features of the otoliths of the Sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, useful in age determination. Fish Bull 79(2):360–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosas-Alayola J, Hernandez-Herrera A, Galván-Magaña F, Abitia-Cárdenas LA, Muhlia-Melo A (2002) Diet composition of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus, Shaw and Nodder, 1792) from the southern Gulf of California, Mexico. Fish Res 57:185–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smale MA, Taylor WW (1987) Sources of back-calculation error in estimating growth of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis). In: Summerfelt RC, Hall GE (eds) Proceedings of the international symposium on age and growth in fishes. Iowa State University Press, Iowa, pp 189–202

    Google Scholar 

  • StatSoft Inc (2007) STATISTICA (data analysis software system), version 8.0. www.statsoft.com

  • Sun CL, Huang CL, Yeh SZ (2001) Age and growth of the bigeye tuna, Tunnus obesus, in the western Pacific Ocean. Fish Bull 99:502–509

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun CL, Wang SP, Yeh SZ (2002) Age and growth of swordfish, (Xiphiias gladius L.,) in the waters around Taiwan determined from anal fin rays. Fish Bull 100:822–835

    Google Scholar 

  • Tserpes G, Tsimenides N (1995) Determination of age and growth of swordfish, Xiphias gladius L., 1758, In the eastern Mediterranean using anal-fin spines. Fish Bull 93:549–602

    Google Scholar 

  • Vidaurri-Sotelo AL, Macías-Zamora R, Santana-Hernández H (1998) Notas sobre juveniles de pez vela, Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw and Nodder, 1791), capturados en el Pacífico Mexicano. Cienc Mar 24:499–505

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the fishermen of the recreational fleet in Mazatlan, Sinaloa for their cooperation with sampling sailfish at landing. The manuscript benefited greatly from the comments and suggestions of three anonymous reviewers. CQV, LAAC, and FNMB are members of Comisión de Operación y Fomento de Actividades Académicas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional and Programa de Estímulos al Desempeño de los Investigadores del Instituto Politécnico Nacional.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias del Mar-Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Paseo Claussen S/N. Col. Los Pinos, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, 82000, Mexico

    Jorge S. Ramírez-Pérez

  2. Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas-IPN, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional S/N Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita, La Paz, B.C.S., 23096, Mexico

    Casimiro Quiñonez-Velázquez, Leonardo A. Abitia-Cardenas & Felipe N. Melo-Barrera

Authors
  1. Jorge S. Ramírez-Pérez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Casimiro Quiñonez-Velázquez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Leonardo A. Abitia-Cardenas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Felipe N. Melo-Barrera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Casimiro Quiñonez-Velázquez.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ramírez-Pérez, J.S., Quiñonez-Velázquez, C., Abitia-Cardenas, L.A. et al. Age and growth of sailfish Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw in Shaw and Nodder, 1792) from Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. Environ Biol Fish 92, 187–196 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-011-9832-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-011-9832-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation