Density‐dependent growth and sexual maturity of silver hake in the north‐west Atlantic
Stock abundance was the most important predictor of sexual maturation of age 2 and 3 silver hake in the north‐west Atlantic between 1973–1990. Growth at ages 1 and 2 in the southern stock was significantly and negatively correlated with stock abundance (r 2 >0.56, P <0.01). Sexual maturity may...
| Published in: | Journal of Fish Biology |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
1997
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01516.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1095-8649.1997.tb01516.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01516.x |
| Summary: | Stock abundance was the most important predictor of sexual maturation of age 2 and 3 silver hake in the north‐west Atlantic between 1973–1990. Growth at ages 1 and 2 in the southern stock was significantly and negatively correlated with stock abundance (r 2 >0.56, P <0.01). Sexual maturity may be mediated through competition and growth during the first and second years of life. In the northern stock, growth and stock abundance was not significantly correlated ( P >0.05). Here, increased sexual maturity at ages 2 and 3 during 1973–1990 may have occurred without increased somatic growth, already near its maximum, due to the relatively cooler water temperatures of the Gulf of Maine. Logistic regression models indicated that maturation is dependent on age, stock density and an age‐density interaction. |
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