한국 서남해에 서식하는 삼치(Scomberomorus niphonius)의 성숙과 산란

Abstract

The Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius is an economically important fish species in the southwestern waters of Korea. This study aimed to provide insights into the reproductive biology of this species in the southwestern waters of Korea. We analyzed monthly changes in fork length (FL), maturity stages, and gonadosomatic index (GSI). Moreover, we measured the in FL at sexual group maturity of 50%, 75%, 97.5%, and sex ratio (female vs. male). The overall sex ratio of female and male was 1:0.8. GSI value showed the highest peak in May; however, the spawning period revealed by the microscopic analysis of gonad tissue of S. niphonius was from April to August 2020. The main spawning seasons for the entire populations was from May to June. The fork length at 50% group maturity was 53.3 cm for females and 53.1 cm for males. These results of spawning period of Spanish mackerel highlight the influences of water temperatures that were higher than those in the past, an increase in resource levels, and the level of Pacific anchovy resources flowing into the spawning ground.