Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T05:00:21.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Fecundity of Nephrops norvegicus from the Irish Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2009

N. McQuaid
Affiliation:
Water Management Unit, Environment ad Heritage Service, 17 Lisburn Rd BT28 3AL
R.P. Briggs*
Affiliation:
Fisheries and Aquatic Ecosystems Branch, AFBI Headquarters, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX
D. Roberts
Affiliation:
Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: R.P. Briggs, Fisheries and Aquatic Ecosystems Branch, AFBI Headquarters, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX email: [email protected]

Abstract

Potential fecundity, number of oocytes in the mature ovary, and realized fecundity, number of eggs extruded and attached to the pleopods of female Nephrops, caught at the start of the incubation period were estimated for females from the eastern and western Irish Sea grounds. Potential fecundity was found to differ significantly between eastern and western Irish Sea stocks, while realized fecundity did not differ between areas. Inter-year comparison of realized fecundity, and effective fecundity (the number of mature eggs on the pleopods of females at the end of the incubation period) in the western Irish Sea stocks revealed no significant variation over time. Egg loss during the transition from oocytes in the ovary to mature eggs increased with female size, ranging from 40% at 25 mm carapace length (CL) to 65% at 40 mm CL. No relationship was found between egg diameter or volume and female size.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anonymous (1999) Survey estimates of biomass of Nephrops norvegicus in the Irish Sea. Final Report of EU contract DGXIV.Google Scholar
Bailey, N. (1984) Some aspects of reproduction in Nephrops. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Shellfish Committee CM 1984/K: 33, (mimeo.).Google Scholar
Briggs, R.P. (1988) A preliminary analysis of maturity data for northwest Irish Sea Nephrops fishery. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Shellfish Committee, CM 1988/ K: 21, (mimeograph).Google Scholar
Briggs, R.P., Armstrong, M.J., Dickey-Collas, M., Allen, M., McQuaid, N. and Whitmore, J. (2002) The application of fecundity estimates to determine the spawning stock biomass of Irish Sea Nephrops norvegicus (L.) using the annual larval production method. ICES Journal of Marine Science 59, 109119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapman, C.J. and Ballantyne, K.A. (1980) Some observations on the fecundity of Norway lobsters in Scottish waters. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, CMK: 25.Google Scholar
Farina, A.C., Freire, J. and Gonzalez-Gurriaran, E. (1999) Fecundity of the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus in Galicia (NW Spain) and a review of geographical patterns. Ophelia 50, 177189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farmer, A.S.D. (1974) Reproduction in Nephrops norvegicus (Decapoda: Nephropidae). Journal of Zoology, London 174, 161183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Figueiredo, M.J. and Barraca, I.F. (1963) Contribucoa para o conhecimento da pesca e da biologia do langostim (Nephrops norvegicus L.) na costa Portuguesa. Notas Estudos de l'Instituto de Biologia Marina de Lisboa 28, 144.Google Scholar
Figueiredo, M.J. and Nunes, M.C. (1965) The fecundity of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.) in Portuguese waters. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Shellfish Committee CMK: 34.Google Scholar
Figueiredo, M.J., Margo, O. and Franco, M.G. (1982) The fecundity of Nephrops norvegicus (L.) in Portuguese waters. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Shellfish Committee CMK: 29.Google Scholar
King, M. (1995) Population dynamics. In Fisheries biology, assessment and management. Oxford, London: Blackwell Press, pp. 192198.Google Scholar
Kuris, A.M. (1991) A review of patterns and causes of crustacean brood mortality. In Wenner, A. and Kuris, A (eds) Crustacean egg production. Rotterdam: A.A. Balkema, pp. 117141.Google Scholar
Mead, R.E., Curnow, R.N. and Hasted, A.M. (1993) Statistical methods in agriculture and experimental biology. London: Chapman and Hall, 415 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McFarland, D. (1999) Survival value and fitness. In Animal behaviour. Harlow, England: Longman, pp. 7186.Google Scholar
Mori, M., Biagi, F. and Ranieri, S.D. (1998) Fecundity and egg loss during incubation in Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea. Journal of Natural History 32, 16411650.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morizur, Y. (1981) Evaluation de la perte d'oefs lors de l'incubation chez Nephrops norvegicus (L.) dans la région Sud-Bretagne, France. Crustaceana 41, 301306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morizur, Y. and Rivoalen, J.J. (1982) Fécondité de Nephrops norvegicus en Mer Celtique: approche quantitative et qualitative. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea CMK: 9.Google Scholar
Nichols, J.H., Bennet, D.B., Symonds, J. and Grainger, R. (1987) Estimation of the stock size of adult Nephrops norvegicus (L.) from larvae surveys in the Western Irish Sea, in 1982. Journal of Natural History 21, 14331450.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, R.S.M. (1987) The biology of larval and juvenile Nephrops norvegicus (L.) in the Firth of Clyde. PhD thesis. University of Glasgow.Google Scholar
Sterk, W. and Redant, F. (1989) Further evidence on biennial spawning of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, in the Central North Sea. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Shellfish Committee CM 1989/ K: 2, (mimeograph).Google Scholar
Thomas, H.J. (1964) The spawning and fecundity of the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus (L.) around the Scottish Coast. Journal du Conseil Permanent International pour l'Exploration de la Mer 29, 221229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tuck, I.D., Taylor, A.C., Atkinson, R.J.A., Grammitto, M.E. and Smith, C. (1997) Biochemical composition of Nephrops norvegicus: changes associated with ovary maturation. Marine Biology 129, 505511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tuck, I.D., Atkinson, R.J.A. and Chapman, C.J. (2000) Population biology of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.) in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland II: fecundity and size at onset of maturity. ICES Journal of Marine Science 57, 12271239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar