Age-fecundity relationships in the striped seaperch Embiotoca lateralis from Yaquina Bay, Oregon

Graduation date: 1966A study was conducted at Yaquina Bay, Oregon, to determine\ud the age-fecundity relationships in the striped seaperch Embiotoca\ud lateralis. A questionnaire was sent to California, Oregon, and\ud Washington to ascertain what regulations were in effect, and the value\ud of the family Embiotocidae with regard to the sport and commercial\ud harvest. The questionnaire revealed that no state maintained a\ud systematic account of each species landed, and further life history\ud data appeared desirable for sport and commercial species.\ud Fish were collected from March 20 to August 21, 1960, with\ud 140 females and 26 males being collected for analysis by hook and\ud line or 125-foot experimental gill net. Scales were imprinted on cellulose\ud acetate cards or mounted between glass slides, The catch was\ud measured in centimeters of standard length and weighed in grams.\ud From 123 females, 2, 654 embryos were obtained, and a maximum of 22\ud embryos per female was measured in millimeters of standard length.\ud The estimated time of annulus formation in most scales was\ud from March 15 to June 12. Second and third annuli were primarily\ud laid down in March and April, with the probable peak of annulus formation\ud for females of ages IV, V and VI in May. Length-frequencies\ud were presented by age-class and sex. Eighty-one females of age-class\ud III dominated the sample. Females of age-classes II and III\ud attained greater average lengths than males. In age-class II, average\ud weights for females were slightly greater than those for males.\ud Both sexes generally mature for the first time in their third year of\ud life.\ud Length-weight, and length-number of embryos per female, for\ud females of age-classes III-IV, were expressed by the regression\ud equation Y[subscript c] = a+ b (X). High correlations for length-weight were ob-\ud tained. Additional females were needed to evaluate that age when\ud weights would digress. Females of age-class V produced the most\ud embryos per unit increase in length; this rate declined in age-class\ud VI. The largest number of embryos produced by an age class was\ud 1, 431, in age-class III. The average number (in parentheses) of\ud embryos produced per female of each age class, was: II ( 17); III\ud (18); IV (21); V (30); VI (31) and VII (32). The most prolific female\ud was seven years old and contained 45 embryos.\ud Sixteen diminutive embryos were collected in 10 out of 128\ud mature females. Most older females were thought to have ovulated\ud earlier than younger females, for their embryos were generally\ud larger than embryos of younger females. However, embryos from\ud younger females could reach the approximate mean size of embryos\ud of older females, but at a later date. Birth of embryos began about\ud June 12 and ended in late July. Embryos averaged about 50 mm in\ud standard length at birth.\ud Suggestions are given for management of the striped seaperch