SPEARFISHES OF THE CENTRAL PACIFIC 



537 



Table 6.-Weighl frequency of blue marlin, Makaira ampla./rom the Honolulu market. January 1949-February 195Z-Con. 

 ll'ata collected by the Hawaiian Division of FUh and Oame) 



Weight group (pounds) 



Year 1951— Continued 



750-799 . 



800-849... 



850-899 



900-949 



950-999 



>1.000.... 



Number 



Maximum weight (pounds). 



Jan. 



Feb. 



Mar, 



1,450 



Year ig.W: 



10-19 



20-29. 



30-39 



40-49 



50-59 



60-69 



70-79 



80-89 



90-99 



100-109 



110-119 



120-129 



130-1.39.. . . 

 140-149.. 



1.50-159 



100-169 



170-179 



180-189 



190-199.. 



200-219 



220-2.39 



240-259 



260-279 



280-299 



300-319 



320-339 



340-359 



360-379 



380-399... 



400-419 



420^39 



440-159.... 



460-479... 



480-199.. 



500-549 



550-599 



600-649 



650-699.. 



700-749 



750-799.... 

 800-849.... 

 850-899.. 

 900-949.. 



9.50-999 



>1,000 



Number 



Maximum weight (pounds). 



1,003 



160 cm. (12.5 lb.) with most of the males ranging 

 from 140 cm. (85 lb.) to 180 cm. (175 lb.). 



The ampla of less than about 200 pounds, which 

 some of the Japanese authors consider to be mostly 

 males (Ueyanagi 1953; Nakamura et al., 1953; 

 Yabuta 1954), appear in the fishery in quantity 

 only during the summer months. Tliis is thought 

 to indicate a segregation by sex during migrations. 

 A similar phenomenon exists in Hawaii (table 6), 

 where the catch of ampla from July to October 

 contains a large modal group from 130 to 220 

 pounds which may be males. There is also at this 



Apr. 



May 



June 



July 



Aug. 



1,107 



389 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Nov. 



345 





362 



224 



Dec. 



71 



time some increase in the catch of larger fish, but 

 not nearly as great an increase as in the modal 

 group. 



Spawning 



Among the ampla specimens examined from the 

 POFI catches, we found no ripe females but did 

 find males with freely flowing milt in the gonads 

 from February through October (and captured 

 only three between November and January). So 

 it is likely that at least some of the males may be 

 ready to spawn at almost any time of the year in 

 the equatorial Pacific. 



