H I 4S 



X 



u 



J|40- 



o 



GULF OF MEXICO 



L0G,oW=-4 49978 •2 65546 LOG,oL 

 N:627 



/— L0CnoW=-3 10422* 2 01104 LOC.qL 



— r- 



2 15 



2 20 2 25 2 30 



LOG,o LOWER JAW- FORK LENGTH (cm) 



Figure 4. — Length-weight relationship (log transformation) for 

 female and male white marlin from the northern Gulf of Mexico. 



w I 40' 



5 







u 



O I 35- 

 1 30' 



ATLANTIC 



LOC,nW= -5 52016 'S 13550 LOCoL 

 N=248 



LOG,„W=-4 96728 •2 87607 LOG,^ L 



—I 1 1 1 1 



2 15 2 20 2 25 2 30 2 35 



LOG,o LOWER JAW- FORK LENGTH (Cm) 



Figure 5. — Length-weight relationship (log transformation) for 

 female and male white marlin from the Atlantic. 



Reproduction 



A significant difference in egg diameter was 

 found among the anterior, middle, and posterior 

 sections of an ovary from a mature fish {F — 1.1; df 

 = 2, 2,676; P<0.001). There was no significant 



Table 2. — Regression equations, number, sum of squares of jc, 

 and mean square calculated for the length-weight relationship 

 (logio transformations) of white marlin from the northern Gulf of 

 Mexico and the Atlantic. 



S.v^-blx-j 



y + b(X - X) 



N 



Xx' 



N-2 



Gulf and Atlantic females: 



1.41704 + 288186(X - 2.22302) 



Gulf and Atlantic males: 



1 .34355 + 2.37655(X - 2.20228) 



Gulf females: 



1.39996 + 2.65546(X - 2.22174) 



Gulf males: 



1.32735 + 2 01104(X - 2.20363) 



Atlantic females: 



1.46021 + 3.13550(X - 2.22624) 



Atlantic males: 



1.36217 + 2.87607(X - 2.20073) 



May gulf females: 



1 48714 + 2.60014(X - 2.24572) 



May Atlantic females: 



1.44276 + 2.96929(X - 2.21669) 



June gulf females: 



1,44221 + 3.22066(X - 2.23317) 



June Atlantic females: 



1.40502 + 2.60180(X - 2.23216) 



June gulf males: 



1 35686 + 3.55091(X - 2.21054) 



June Atlantic males: 



1.24868 + 3.01101(X ~ 2.17815) 



August gulf females: 



1.38976 + 2.72170(X - 2.21831) 



August Atlantic females: 



1.41118 + 2.81615(X - 2.21783) 



August gulf males: 



1.32575 * 1.93866(X - 2.20207) 



August Atlantic males: 



1.35384 + 2.91546(X - 2.20279) 



September gulf females: 



1.40689 + 3.01922(X - 2.22399) 



September Atlantic females: 



1 42732 ^ 3,10221(X - 2.22137) 



September gulf males: 



1.32709 + 1.39787(X - 2.20530) 



September Atlantic males: 



1.34390 + 2.01746(X - 2.19767) 



difference in mean diameter among the center, 

 midregion, and periphery within each of the three 

 sections. Because some heterogeneity occurred, 

 estimates of fecundity were based, when possible, 

 on eggs from each section of both ovaries. 

 Heterogeneity of egg size within an ovary has also 

 been shown for albacore, Thunnus alalunga (Otsu 

 and Uchida 1959), and swovdfish., Xiphias gladius 

 (Uchiyama and Shomura 1974). 



The left ovary (X = 25.0 cm, S^ = 0.732) was 

 significantly longer (F = 35^7; df = 1, 196; 

 P<0.001) than the right ovary (X = 19.4cm,S.v = 

 0.561). Eldridge and Wares ( 1974) reported differ- 

 ential growth in the size of ovaries for striped 

 marlin, Tetrapturus audax, and for sailfish, Is- 

 tiophorus platypterus. Both were similar to the 

 white marlin in having larger left ovaries. 



Well-developed ovaries were present only in 12 

 white marlin collected during April and May in 

 the Florida Straits. These fish had a GSI of about 



923 



