Abstract
Aspects of the reproduction of cobia (Rachycentron canadum) population from the coast of Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil, were studied from February 2004 to August 2006. One hundred eleven individuals were analyzed: 54 females with fork length (FL) ranging from 40 to 137 cm (mean ± standard deviation: 90.7 ± 18.1 cm) and 57 males with FL from 43 to 114.5 cm (82.4 ± 17.0 cm). Histological analysis was used to identify maturational phases. Spawning capable females were found from August to May, except in December, while mature males were present throughout the year, except in July. Size at first maturity (L50) obtained by Bayesian analysis was 72.51 cm FL for females and 60.69 cm FL for males. Overall batch fecundity ranged from 192,063 to 1,600,513 oocytes (722,398 ± 430,911) and mean relative batch fecundity ranged from 32.9 to 104.8 (71.1 ± 29.8) oocytes per gram of female body weight. The data indicate that the reproduction of cobia off the coast of Pernambuco occurs throughout the year, but with peaks between February and April, period in which gonadosomatic indices reach the maximum values and then decrease until May for females and males.
Highlights
The cobia, Rachycentron canadum (Family Rachycentridae), is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters, except the eastern portion of the Pacific (Shaffer and Nakamura, 1989), and can achieve 165.1 cm of fork length and 62.2 kg of total weight (Franks et al, 1999)
The specimens were measured for the determination of total weight (TW, in g) and fork length (FL, in cm)
The model was determined for both sexes pooled and represented by the function TW = 5.6 x 10-3 FL3.137 (R2 = 0.971, p
Summary
The cobia, Rachycentron canadum (Family Rachycentridae), is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters, except the eastern portion of the Pacific (Shaffer and Nakamura, 1989), and can achieve 165.1 cm of fork length and 62.2 kg of total weight (Franks et al, 1999). The world fishery production of the species was 16,228 tonnes (t) in 2017, with Iran being the major producer (5,252 t). In Brazil, catches are rare and are estimated at 880 t (FAO, 2020), mainly related to sport fishing (spearfishing) and, on a smaller scale, artisanal fishing (IBAMA, 2008).
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