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The reproductive biology of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the Strait of Gibraltar

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 May 2018

Noureddine Abid ,
Amin Laglaoui ,
Abdelhay Arakrak  and
Mohammed Bakkali
Noureddine Abid*
Affiliation:
National Institute for Fisheries Research (INRH), Regional Centre of Tangier, P.O. Box 5268, Tangier, Morocco
Amin Laglaoui
Affiliation:
Team of Research in Biotechnology and Bimolecular Genius (ERBGB), Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, BP. 416-Tangier, Morocco
Abdelhay Arakrak
Affiliation:
Team of Research in Biotechnology and Bimolecular Genius (ERBGB), Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, BP. 416-Tangier, Morocco
Mohammed Bakkali
Affiliation:
Team of Research in Biotechnology and Bimolecular Genius (ERBGB), Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, BP. 416-Tangier, Morocco
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: N. Abid, National Institute for Fisheries Research (INRH), Regional Centre of Tangier, P.O. Box 5268, Tangier, Morocco email: [email protected]
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Abstract

During the period from April to September for the years 2014–2016, 998 swordfishes caught by the Moroccan artisanal longline fishery in the Strait of Gibraltar were sampled to study the reproduction of this species in this mixing area between the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic. The results showed that the sex ratio is slightly in favour of males for sizes smaller than 130 cm LJFL (Lower jaw-fork length), whereas females are more numerous in sizes larger than 140 cm LJFL. Fifty per cent of females were estimated to be mature at 170 cm LJFL, while for males, the size at first maturity was estimated to be 95 cm LJFL. The swordfish spawn from June to September, probably in the Mediterranean Sea. The findings of this study suggest that the reproductive characteristics of swordfish caught in the Strait of Gibraltar are similar to those of the Mediterranean swordfish, and a high mixing rate between the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic stocks occurs in the study area.

Keywords

swordfishstrait of Gibraltarsex-ratio by sizesize at first maturityspawning periodmixing
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 99 , Issue 3 , May 2019 , pp. 649 - 659
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2018 

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