LOVE ET AL.: LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY OF WHITE CROAKER 



300 - 



250 



200 



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LLI 



150 



100 



50 



MALES 



W = .0111l3-0114 



R = .9750 



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12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 



TOTAL LENGTH (cm) 



FIGURE 5.— Length-weight relationship based on 581 male white croaker sampled off southern California, 1978-81. 



(Fig. 8), averaging 0.39c of body weight (maximum 

 0.99c, minimum 0.057c), and increased in the fall to a 

 January peak averaging 2.69c of body weight (max- 

 imum 7.7%, minimum 0.4%). 



In contrast, white croaker off Monterey Bay 

 spawned over a longer period and may have winter 

 and summer spawning peaks. Ovarian weights were 

 highest in January and September (averaging about 

 6.5 and 7.0% of body weight, respectively) and lowest 

 in May (1.3% of body weight). Ovaries never shrank 

 to the minimum sizes typical of individuals in the 

 southern California population during summer 

 months. Testes grew to a much larger maximum size 

 (4.6% vs. 2.6%) off Monterey. Northern white 

 croaker spawned nearly every month, though spring 

 spawning might have been limited. In limited sam- 



pling during the following year, 10 the second 

 (January) peak was not evident, and thus may not be 

 an annual event. 



Batch fecundities ranged from an estimated 800 

 eggs in a 15.5 cm female to about 37,200 in a 26 cm 

 female (Fig. 9). During the spawning period about 

 19% of all mature female white croaker sampled con- 

 tained hydrated eggs, implying that a female 

 spawned about once every 5 d. Females of ages 1 and 

 2 (13-18 cm) have a spawning season of 3 mo (Table 

 6) and spawn about 18 times per season, whereas 

 older fish ( 1 9 cm and larger) spawn over a period of 4 

 mo, about 24 times/season. 



10 T. Keating, Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, P.O. Box 223, 

 Moss Landing, CA 95039, pers. commun. January 1982. 



187 



