Confirmation of the spawning area of the striped marlin, Tetrapturus audax, in the so-called core area of the eastern tropical Pacific off Mexico |
| |
Authors: | Rogelio GonzÁ lez Armas,Oscar Sosa-Nishizaki,RenÉ Funes RodrÍ guez,& Victor AndrÉ S Levy PÉ rez |
| |
Affiliation: | Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, IPN, Apdo. Postal 592, CP 23000, La Paz, BCS, Mexico,;Centro de Investigación Científica y Educación Superior de Ensenada, Apdo. Postal 2732, CP 22800, Ensenada, BC, Mexico |
| |
Abstract: | We report the presence of striped marlin larvae in coastal waters of the mouth of the Gulf of California, collected during seven oceanographic cruises during 1990 to 1993. From 169 sampled stations, 30 produced a total of 68 larvae of 2.4–30.5 mm total length. Most of the larvae were about 3 mm, indicating a recent spawn. The sea surface temperature at the sampled stations ranged from 19.4°C to 32.0°C, but larvae were caught at stations with temperatures between 27.8°C and 31.5°C. These results clarify the existence of a spawning area of striped marlin in the eastern Pacific, located closer to the coast than previously believed, during several months of the year. |
| |
Keywords: | larvae Mexico spawning area striped marlin Tetrapturus audax |
|
|