22 



Fishery Bulletin 94(1), 1996 



c 



400 



360 

 300 

 260 

 200 

 160 

 100 



4 00 



360 



(00 



250 

 200 

 160 

 100 



400 



350 

 300 

 260 

 200 

 150 

 100 



400 

 360 



100 



250 

 200 

 160 



10u 



60 100 160 200 250 300 350 400 460 500 



APRIL 

 hatch 



50 100 150 200 260 300 360 400 450 600 



60 100 160 200 250 300 350 400 460 600 



OCTOBER 

 hatch 



60 WO 160 200 250 300 360 400 450 500 



400 



360 

 300 

 260 

 200 



1M- 



100 



400 

 350 



300 

 260 

 200 

 160 

 100 



400 

 350 

 300 

 260 

 200 

 160 

 100 



400 

 360 

 300 

 260 

 200 

 160- 

 100 

 60 



60 tOO 160 200 260 300 350 400 460 600 



MAY 

 hatch 



f 



50 WO 150 200 260 300 360 400 450 600 



60 100 160 200 260 300 350 400 460 600 



MOVE ME3CR 



hatch 



60 100 150 200 250 300 360 400 460 600 



4UU 



360 

 300 

 260 

 200 

 160 

 100 



MARCH 

 hatch 



n-61 



60 WO 160 200 250 300 360 400 460 600 



400 



\bO 

 Auu 

 260 

 200 

 160 



1O0 



60 WO 160 200 260 300 350 400 450 500 



400- 

 360 

 300 

 260 

 200 

 16G 

 100 

 60 



SEPTEMBER 

 hatch 



50 WO 160 200 260 300 360 400 450 600 



400 

 360 

 300 

 260 



200 

 150 



luu 



60 WO 160 200 250 300 360 400 460 600 



Age (d) 

 Figure 13 



Length-at-age data for females of Berryteuthis magister in the western Bering Sea. 



there were only mature and occasionally spent speci- 

 mens (we caught only two spent fall-hatched males 

 at 330 and 340 d). All males at 370-380 d were ma- 

 ture and showed many spermatophores in ihe 

 Needham sac and no apparent gonad degeneration. 

 An extensive transition of males into the spawning 

 and spent conditions (maturity stage 6) would have 

 to occur far later than age 380 d. 



Between 210 and 280 d, all fall-hatched females 

 were immature, with an increasing proportion of fe- 

 males at maturity stage 2. Females started matur- 

 ing (maturity stage 3) at 290 d. At 330 d, there were 



still some immature animals, but most of the females 

 were maturing ( maturity stages 3 and 4 ). At this age, 

 there were already a small number of mature and 

 even four spent females. The proportion of females 

 at maturity stage 3 decreased from 330 d to 360 d, 

 and disappeared at 390 d. Between 330 and 390 d, 

 the proportion of females at maturity stage 4 re- 

 mained approximately constant, whereas mature 

 females gradually increased. Mature females began 

 mating between 300 and 320 d, most of them mating 

 by 350-370 d. There was evidence for both early and 

 late-maturing females, with the bimodal distribution 



