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Vol. 39 No. 2, 2000
Recruitment and Hatching Dates of Grey Mullet (Mugil cephalus L.) Juveniles in the Tanshui Estuary of Northwest Taiwan
Chin-Wei Chang1,2, Wann-Nian Tzeng1,* and Ying-Chou Lee2
1Institute of Zoology, College of Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 106
2Institute of Fisheries Science, College of Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 106
Chin-Wei Chang, Wann-Nian Tzeng and Ying-Chou Lee (2000) Ages, growth, and hatching dates of grey mullet Mugil cephalus
L. juveniles in the Tanshui estuary of northwestern Taiwan were
examined, using growth increments in otoliths of fish collected in
November 1995 to March 1996 and November 1996 to March 1997. Growth
increments are deposited daily, and were used to determine the ages.
Juveniles were composed of multiple cohorts, and their sizes ranged
between 17 and 39 mm in total length, corresponding to ages of 29 to 67
d after hatching. The growth rate during the estuarine residency was
0.45 mm d-1. Hatching dates back-calculated from daily ages
were from October to February, which range earlier and later than the
spawning period from November to January of a previously known
migratory population. This suggests that grey mullet juveniles in the
estuary may come from both a resident population and a migratory
population, or that there are earlier and later migratory spawning
populations.
Key words: Mugil cephalus L., Otolith, Daily age, Hatching date, Tanshui estuary.
*Correspondence: Tel: 886-2-23639570. Fax: 886-2-23636837. E-mail: wnt@ccms.ntu.edu.tw
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