Brodziak and Macy Growth of Loligo pealei 



231 



tion on the growth rate of the Argentine short-finned 

 squid, Illex argentinus. Using statolith ageing tech- 

 niques, they found that older short-finned squid 

 hatched during cooler months apparently grew more 

 slowly than younger squid hatched during warmer 

 months. They speculated that the faster growth of 

 the younger cohort was due to the generally warmer 

 temperatures experienced by hatchlings. Similarly, 

 Forsythe ( 1993) conducted a simulation study to ex- 

 amine the potential effects of seasonal temperature 

 regimes on the growth of juvenile cephalopods. He 

 showed that small temperature changes could have 

 a substantial effect on the growth of juvenile squid 



under certain conditions. Overall, further research 

 to estimate directly the potential effect of tempera- 

 ture on the growth rate of L. pealei would help to 

 quantify the potential yield from this resource on a 

 seasonal basis. 



The fact that the growth rate of L. pealei was found 

 to be associated with maturity stage also has poten- 

 tial implications for the management of the resource. 

 Empirical differences in growth rate by maturity 

 stage were consistent for both females and males; 

 on average, growth rates in length and weight were 

 lowest for immature squid and highest for mature 

 squid. Significant differences in growth rate by length 



