oocytes. I found frequency modes of about 0.35 mm 

 and 0.65 mm in a mature fish caught in April. 

 Only eggs measuring 0.56 mm and larger were 

 included when estimating fecundity. Because 

 there were two frequency modes present in mature 

 fish, an estimate of the number of eggs 0.30 mm in 

 diameter and larger is also presented (Table 3). 



Fecundity, based on the number of ova in the 

 most advanced size mode, ranged from 3.8 to 10.5 

 million eggs iX = 7.4, Sy = 0.62) for white marlin 

 weighing 26.8 to 37.2 kg (Table 3). The number of 

 mature ova per gram of body weight ranged from 

 125 to 332 (X = 227, %- = 16.76). The average 

 number of eggs measuring 0.30 mm in diameter 

 and larger was estimated as 13 million (S^ = 

 1.16). 



Fecundity was based on the number of fully 

 yolked eggs, forming a group distinct from another 

 group of developing eggs. Fecundity would vary 

 depending on whether smaller eggs develop 

 further or are absorbed. If fractional spawning 

 occurs, as reported for sailfish by Jolley ( 1977), the 

 eggs in the next distinct group should be included 

 in seasonal fecundity estimates. 



Acknowledgments 



I thank the boat captains and sport fishermen 

 who provided samples, and Pflueger Marine 

 Taxidermy, Inc., Hallandale, Fla., for allowing 

 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) per- 

 sonnel to sample available specimens. I thank 

 Grant Beardsley, Chester Buchanan, Eugene 

 Nakamura, William Richards, Luis Rivas, and 

 James Tyler of the Southeast Fisheries Center 

 (NMFS), and John Jolley of the Florida Depart- 

 ment of Natural Resources for their helpful com- 

 ments on the manuscript. 



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