NOTE Taylor and Murphy: Reproductive biology of Xiphias gisdius in Straits of Florida 



815 



Our estimates of batch fecundity (1.4-4.2 million ova) 

 are comparable to the estimate of Yabe et al. (1959) 

 and to estimates for smaller swordfish by Uchiyama 

 and Shomura (1974). Our estimates are somewhat less 

 than those made for larger fish collected by the latter 

 authors. Yabe et al. (1959) estimated the fecundity of 

 a swordfish 186 cm TRNKL (276 cm LJFL from Table 

 1) to be 3-4 million ova (1.2-1. 6mm in diameter). 

 Uchiyama and Shomura (1974) estimated the fecundity 

 of an 80kg swordfish (185cm LJFL from Table 1) to 

 be 3.0 million ova, which closely agrees with our deter- 

 minations. However, they estimated that a 200 kg 

 swordfish (244 cm LJFL from Table 1) would have a 

 fecundity of ~6 million ova, which is more than our 

 estimates for swordfish over 200 kg. 



Our estimates of fecundity and maturity schedules 

 can be used in analyzing the effect of fishing on the 

 spawning-stock biomass or spawning potential of 

 swordfish in the U.S. South Atlantic (e.g., spawning- 

 stock biomass per recruit analysis, Gabriel et al. 1989). 

 Recent assessments of the status of swordfish in the 

 Atlantic have utilized several techniques, including 

 dynamic pool models ("yield per recruit"), to determine 

 the effects that fishing and age at entry to the fishery 

 have on yield (ICCAT 1991). Our quantitative estimates 

 of the female maturation process and fecundity can be 

 used in further analyzing the effect of fishing on the 

 abundance of mature swordfish (and by Implication the 

 production of new recruits). 



Acknowledgments 



Credit for collecting the samples and data for this 

 research is given to E. Houde, S. Berkeley, E. Irby, 

 J. Jolley, and D. Nickerson. Data collected for this 

 study were funded in part by a grant/cooperative 

 agreement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration through the National Sea Grant Col- 

 lege, Grant NA80AA-D-00038. The views expressed 

 herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily 

 reflect the views of NOAA or any of its subagencies. 

 We thank L. French, J. Leiby, M. Myers, and anony- 

 mous reviewers for their editorial assistance. 



Citations 



Arata, G.F. Jr. 



1954 A contribution to the life history of the swordfish, Xiphias 

 gladius Linnaeus, from the South Atlantic coast of the United 

 States and the Gulf of Mexico. Bull. Mar. Sci. Gulf Caribb. 

 4:183-243. 

 Atkinson, L.P., T.N. Lee, J.O. Blanton, and W.S. Chandler 

 1983 Climatology of the southeastern United States Continen- 

 tal Shelf waters. J. Geophys. Res. 88:4705-4718. 



Beckett, J.S. 



1974 Biology of swordfish. Xiphias gladius L., in the North- 

 west Atlantic Ocean. In Shomura, R.S., and F. Williams 

 (eds.), Proc, Int. billfish symp.; Part 2, Review and contributed 

 papers, p. 105-106. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS SSRF 675. 



Berkeley, S.A., and E.D. Houde 



1980 Swordfish dynamics in the Straits of Florida. Int. Counc. 

 Explor. Sea CM 1980/H:59 Pelagic Fish Committee, 11 p. 



1984 Age determination of broadbill swordfish, Xiphias 

 gladius. from the Straits of Florida, using anal fin spine sec- 

 tions. In Prince, E.D., and L.M. Pulos (eds.). Proc. Interna- 

 tional workshop on age determination of oceanic pelagic 

 fishes: Tunas, billfishes, and sharks, p. 137-143. NOAA Tech 

 Rep. NMFS 8. 

 Berkeley. S.A., and E.W. Irby 



1982 Analysis of catch, effort and landing data in the sword- 

 fish longline fishery of the Florida Straits. Int. Counc. Explor. 

 Sea CM 1982/H:53, 12 p. 



Brown-Peterson, N., P. Thomas, and C.R. Arnold 



1988 Reproductive biology of the spotted seatrout, Cynoscion 

 nebulosus, in South Texas. Fish. Bull., U.S. 86:373-388. 



Carey, F.G.. and B.H. Robison 



1981 Daily patterns in the activities of swordfish, Xiphias 

 gladius, observed by acoustic telemetry. Fish. Bull., U.S. 

 79:277-292. 



DeMartini, E.E., and R.K. Fountain 



1981 Ovarian cycling frequency and batch fecundity in the 

 queenfish, Seriphus politus : Attributes representative of serial 

 spawning fishes. Fish. Bull., U.S. 79:547-555. 



DeMetrio, G., P. Megalofonou, S. Tselas, and N. Tsimedides 



1989 Fishery and biology of the swordfish Xiphias gladius L., 

 1758 in Greek waters. In Savini, M., and J.F. Caddy (eds.), 

 Report of the second technical consultation on stock assess- 

 ment in the eastern Mediterranean, p. 135-145. FAO Fish. 

 Rep. 412. 



Fitzhugh, G.R.. T.G. Snider III, and B.A. Thompson 



1988 Measurement of ovarian development in red drum {Sciae- 

 nops ocellatus) from offshore stocks. Contrib. Mar. Sci. 

 (Suppl.) 30:79-83. 



Gabriel, W.L., M.P. Sizenmore, and W.J. Overholtz 



1989 Analysis of spawning stock biomass per recruit: An ex- 

 ample for Georges Bank haddock. N. Am. J. Fish. Manage. 

 9:383-391. 



Grail, C, D.P. DeSylva, and E.D. Houde 



1983 Distribution, relative abundance, and seasonality of 

 swordfish larvae. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 112:235-246. 



Grier, H.J. 



1981 Cellular organization of the testis and spermatogenesis 

 in fishes. Am. Zool. 21:345-357. 

 Guitart-Manday, D. 



1964 Biologla pesquera del emperador o pez de espada, Xiphias 

 gladius Linnaeus (Teleostomi: Xiphiidae) en las aguas de 

 Cuba. Poeyana Inst. Biol. (Habana), Ser. B. 1, 37 p. [transl. 

 by Foreign Language Div., Canada]. 

 Humason, G.L. 



1972 Animal tissue techniques. W.H. Freeman, San Fran- 

 cisco, 641 p. 

 Hunter, J.R., and B.J. Macewicz 



1985 Measurement of spawning frequency in multiple spawn- 

 ing fishes. In Lasker, R. (ed.). An egg production method for 

 estimating spawning biomass of pelagic fish: Application to 

 the northern anchovy, p. 79-94. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS 36. 



