Length and age at maturity of Antarctic krill

Data from several summer research cruises in the Antarctic Peninsula region were analysed to calculate length (L50) and age at maturity for the antarctic krill, Euphasia superba. Length at maturity L50 is defined as the length ata which 50% of the krill stock attains sexual maturity. L50 values of 3...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Siegel, Volker, Loeb, Valerie
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 1994
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.openagrar.de/receive/timport_mods_00030119
Description
Summary:Data from several summer research cruises in the Antarctic Peninsula region were analysed to calculate length (L50) and age at maturity for the antarctic krill, Euphasia superba. Length at maturity L50 is defined as the length ata which 50% of the krill stock attains sexual maturity. L50 values of 34.65-35.91 mm for female krill are the best estimates for the peak spawning season. Males attain sexual maturity later at L50 values of 43.35-43.71 mm. Length at maturity and length at first spawning are identical for krill. Comparisons with mean length-at-age data show that females mature in the third growth season (age class 2+), while males reach maturity in the fourth year (age class 3+). Both sexes show "knife-edge-maturity".