Timing and duration of mating and brooding periods of Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) in the North Pacific Ocean

Lauth, Robert R. and Guthridge, Jared and Nichol, Dan and McEntire, Scott W. and Hillgruber, Nicola (2007) Timing and duration of mating and brooding periods of Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) in the North Pacific Ocean. Fishery Bulletin, 105(4), pp. 560-570.

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Abstract

The timing and duration of the reproductive cycle of Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) was validated by using observations from time-lapse video and data from archival tags, and the start, peak, and end of spawning and hatching were determined from an incubation model with aged egg samples and empirical incubation times ranging from 44 days at a water temperature of 9.85°C to 100 days at 3.89°C. From June to July, males ceased diel vertical movements, aggregated in nesting colonies, and established territories. Spawning began in late July, ended in mid-October, and peaked in early September. The male egg-brooding period that followed continued from late November to mid-January and duration was highly dependent on embryonic development as affected by ambient water temperature. Males exhibited brooding behavior for protracted periods at water depths from 23 to 117 m where average daily water temperatures ranged from 4.0° to 6.2°C. Knowledge about the timing of the reproductive cycle provides a framework for conserving Atka mackerel populations and investigating the physical and biological processes influencing recruitment.

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