334 
Fishery Bulletin 111(4) 
evant components that affect egg and embryo survival 
(Brooks et al., 1997; Sewall and Rodgveller, 2009). 
Conclusions 
This study provides further evidence of maternal influ- 
ence on the reproductive potential and spawning qual- 
ity of the Patagonian stock of Argentine Hake. Within 
the analyzed size range (29-95 cm TL), larger females 
were characterized not only by higher fecundities but 
also by heavier eggs with larger oil droplets. Larger 
individuals were in better condition than smaller ones, 
as shown by higher HSI values, supporting the assump- 
tion that this index is a good predictor of reproductive 
potential. Moreover, feeding activity during the spawn- 
ing peak in January was higher for larger females than 
for smaller and younger individuals, indicating that 
Argentine Hake may incorporate energy during the re- 
productive season. This strategy of energy allocation 
is typical of an income breeder and is similar to the 
strategy suggested for the European Hake by Domin- 
guez-Petit and Saborido-Rey (2010). However, because 
Argentine Hake may be an opportunistic feeder dur- 
ing reproduction, it may be advantageous for spawning 
females to feed on higher quality food, such as squid, 
found offshore. This benefit may be restricted to larger 
individuals because they are more likely than smaller 
females to have the ability to find food offshore. 
Acknowledgments 
We wish to thank M. Estrada and H. Brachetta for 
preparation of the histological sections. Special thanks 
to M. Iorio and C. Dato for their help during sample 
collection and the technical staff of the Hake Assess- 
ment Group of the INIDEP for age determination. We 
also would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for 
making suggestions to improve this manuscript. This 
work was supported by the INIDEP and the CONICET 
(PIP 112 200801 00815). This is INIDEP contribution 
no. 1822. 
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