Reproductive dynamics of broadbill swordfish, Xiphias gladius, in the domestic longline fishery off eastern Australia

Abstract

The reproductive ecology of broadbill swordfish, Xiphias gladius, was evaluated based on 1437 fish (size range 50–300 cm orbital fork length [OFL]) caught in the domestic longline fisheries off eastern Australia and New Zealand between May 1999 and March 2001. Reproductive activity was assessed using histology, a gonadosomatic index, and maximum oocyte size. Males were significantly smaller than females and represented less than one third of the sampled fish. Sex ratio differed significantly with respect to fish size and time of year. Females began maturing at 150-cm OFL and spawned from September to March, with the greatest activity from December to February. Males matured at 90-cm OFL; ripe males were found from January to March, but also in May and October, suggesting an extended reproductive period. During the spawning period the proportion of spawning to inactive mature sized females was significantly higher in waters west of longitude 158°E than in waters to the east. Further to the east, samples taken from the New Zealand fishery showed no actively spawning fish during the main spawning period. Females were increasingly reproductively active as water temperature increased beyond 24°C and sea surface chlorophyll a decreased below 0.2 μg L^–1. Batch fecundity was linearly related to fish length with a mean batch fecundity of 1.66 million oocytes for females ranging in size from 173- to 232-cm OFL. The presence of hydrated oocytes and post-ovulatory follicles (POFs) in the same ovaries indicated multiple spawnings. Depending on the time taken for POFs to degrade, these may have been daily at the height of the spawning season.