Reproductive cycle and length at first maturity of Trachurus trachurus in the Central-Western Mediterranean Seas

Reproductive cycle and length at first maturity of Trachurus trachurus in the Central-Western Mediterranean Seas

Trachurus trachurus reproduction central-southern Tyrrhenian Sea South Adriatic Sea western Ionian Sea

Abstract

Data collected in the central-southern Tyrrhenian, South Adriatic and western Ionian seas allowed to estimate the at first maturity (cm) for both sexes of Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus,1758) (GSA 10: female 18.9±0.098, male 17.8±0.078; GSA 18: female 20±0.14, male 17.7±0.115, GSA 19: female 20.6±0.18, male 17.6±0.159). The analysis of the maturity cycle in the GSA 18 indicated that the reproduction period is wide, with a peak in late winter-early spring.