Abstract
The brown smooth-hound shark Mustelus henlei is one of the most abundant species caught by the artisanal elasmobranch fishery off northwestern Mexico. The present study estimates the reproductive parameters for M. henlei using, for the first time, histological analysis and survey data collected from May 2008 to May 2016. Mustelus henlei was reported in the landings from February to November each year (n = 1,469). Total length (TL) varied between 450 and 1,530 mm (average = 753 mm, SD = 111). The sex ratio (male:female) was similar to the 1:1 ratio. Gravid females were caught during April, August, and November. Average fecundity was 9. Length at maturity was 656 mm TL for females and 636 mm TL for males, and length at maternity, estimated for the first time for this species, was 676 mm TL. The first phases of spermatogenesis and oogenesis were identified through histological analysis of gonads from immature individuals. Semen storage was detected in the oviducal gland of females at the terminal zone, whereas in males spermatozeugmata was detected in the seminal vesicles. According to the species reproductive parameters, M. henlei can be categorized as a species of high biological productivity among elasmobranchs and can thus support certain level of fishing pressure off northwestern Mexico if adequate fishing management and regulatory measures are employed. Some of the reproductive parameters that were estimated for this species in the present study were different from those estimated for other stocks from Mexican and United States waters.
 Key words: reproduction, length at maturity, length at maternity, semen storage, Mustelus henlei.
Highlights
The brown smooth-hound shark Mustelus henlei is one of the most abundant species caught by the artisanal elasmobranch fishery off northwestern Mexico
The present study estimates the reproductive parameters for M. henlei using, for the first time, histological analysis and survey data collected from May 2008 to May 2016
The relationship between the number of embryos and Total length (TL), such as that found for M. henlei in the present study, has been reported for some species, for example M. antarcticus (Walker 2007), M. lunulatus, and M. californicus (Pérez-Jiménez and Sosa-Nishizaki 2010)
Summary
Ciencias Marinas, Vol 44, No 2, 2018 have shown that there are probably 5 subpopulations of this species in Mexican waters, 3 in the Gulf of California and 2 off the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula (Sandoval-Castillo and Beheregaray 2015); only the reproductive biology of the stock in the northern Gulf of California region has been studied to date. The objective of this study is to present, for the first time, information on the reproductive biology of M. henlei off the west coast of BCS based on macroscopic and histological analyses and to compare it with existing information on the neighboring stocks This information is expected to contribute to the development and improvement of the management measures recently established for the elasmobranch fishery in Mexico. Mature females had large oocytes (diameter range = 6–12 mm, con respecto a los machos (1,160 mm de LT), sin haber diferencias significativas entre la LT promedio de ambos sexos (t0.05, 1,469 de Student = –14.93) (Fig. 2). Las hembras y los machos maduros presentaron tallas mayores que los 610 mm LT y representaron el 85.8% del total de los organismos registrados. La Lm50 estimada para la costa noroccidental de BCS (donde la mayoría de las hembras preñadas fueron capturadas) fue
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
