Ana Neves*,
Vera Sequeira,
Ana Rita Vieira,
Elisabete Silva,
Frederica Silva,
Ana Marta Duarte,
Susana Mendes,
Rui Ganhão,
Carlos Assis,
Rui Rebelo,
Maria Filomena Magalhães,
Maria Manuel Gil,
Leonel Serrano Gordo
Ana Neves
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Vera Sequeira
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Ana Rita Vieira
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Elisabete Silva
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
Frederica Silva
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Polytechnic of Leiria, Cetemares, 2520-620 Peniche, Portugal.
Ana Marta Duarte
MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Polytechnic of Leiria, Cetemares, 2520-620 Peniche, Portugal.
Susana Mendes
MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Polytechnic of Leiria, Cetemares, 2520-620 Peniche, Portugal.
Rui Ganhão
MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Polytechnic of Leiria, Cetemares, 2520-620 Peniche, Portugal.
Carlos Assis
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Rui Rebelo
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
CE3C – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Maria Filomena Magalhães
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
CE3C – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Maria Manuel Gil
MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Polytechnic of Leiria, Cetemares, 2520-620 Peniche, Portugal.
Leonel Serrano Gordo
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Communicated by Benny Kwok Kan Chan
Blue jack mackerel, Trachurus picturatus, is the fifth most landed fish species in mainland Portugal, but information on its reproductive biology is scarce. From September 2018 to August 2019, 626 specimens were collected from commercial vessels to clarify the reproductive strategy of the T. picturatus population off the west coast of Portugal. The proportion and length range of males and females were similar. Only three of the specimens collected were categorized as immature, indicating that the fish caught in the fishery are primarily mature. The spawning season lasted from late January until the end of March, with gonadosomatic indices being similar for males and females. Fecundity was indeterminate, and estimated batch fecundity ranged between 6,798 (at 25.4 cm TL) and 302,358 oocytes (at 33.8 cm TL). The low number of females showing direct evidence of imminent or recent spawning suggests a low number of spawning events. In addition, 12.7% of females were considered non-reproductive due to ovary abnormalities including parasitic infection by Kudoa species, atretic structures and skipped spawning events. This study highlights the importance of accounting for skipped spawning events and ovary abnormalities in the management of species fisheries.
