Abstract
In order to elucidate the main aspects related to dolphinfish reproduction around Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, 862 individuals caught in that area by commercial handline fishing were examined between 2007 and 2011. From those specimens, it was possible to assess the sex in 782 specimens (271 males and 511 females) and the levels of gonadal maturation in 536 of them (175 males and 361 females). The fork length (FL) of the examined specimens varied between 27 and 150 cm. Sex ratio found was 1.0 male: 1.9 females, but the difference was not statistically significant in April (χ 2 =0.08), August (χ 2 =0.82) and October (χ 2 =3.63). However, by size interval, sex ratio was 1.0 male: 1.0 female for FL between 120 and 130 cm. The gonadal index showed the highest values in February for males and in April for females. Most spawning-capable specimens were found in February (males 36.4%) and in May (females 42.2%). The length of size-at-50%-maturity (L 50 ) was estimated at 70.66 cm FL for males and 68.60 cm FL for females. The results suggest that the period of highest reproductive activity occurs between April and June.
Highlights
Because of its strategic geographical position between the northern and southern hemispheres and between the American and African continents, the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA) (Fig. 1) exerts a strong influence on the life cycle of various migratory species, for which it has great importance as A.C.L
In relation to meteorological condition, the climate at SPSPA is directly influenced by the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which explains why the area has one of the highest precipitation indexes in the Atlantic Ocean, between December and April, and a rather low sea surface salinity
The vertical temperature profile of the SPSPA is relatively stable throughout the year, with a shallow thermocline, around 25 m, and surface temperatures ranging between 27.13°C and 27.92°C (Campos et al 2009, Vaske-Jr 2010)
Summary
Because of its strategic geographical position between the northern and southern hemispheres and between the American and African continents, the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA) (Fig. 1) exerts a strong influence on the life cycle of various migratory species, for which it has great importance as A.C.L. The dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus (Linnaeus, 1758), one of the species commonly caught in the archipelago, has a circumtropical distribution in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans (Beardsley 1967, Rose and Hassler 1968, Carpenter 2002). It is a migratory, pelagic and fast-swimming fish which is intensively caught by commercial and sport fisheries around the world (Erdman 1956, Zaneveld 1961, Sacchi et al 1981). In the southeast Caribbean, it constitutes the largest portion of the large pelagic fish landed by commercial fisheries in both weight and revenue (Mahon et al 1981)
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