Biological parameters of the bathyal fish black scabbardfish (Aphanopus carbo Lowe, 1839) off the Canary Islands, Central-east Atlantic

Abstract

The main biological characteristics for black scabbardfish in the Canary Islands waters were established, focusing on its reproductive behaviour and strategy and its growth pattern. The sex proportion differs significantly from the 1:1 ratio, being clearly unbalanced towards the females. The sex ratio according to depth clearly shows the presence of male and female individuals in all the studied layers, thus sex segregation does not happen according to depth. The Canaries can be considered to be a reproduction site for A. carbo, since samples showing all stages of maturity have been observed. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) showed that the mean values were higher in the third and fourth quarters of the year. The index values clearly allow the differentiation of the individuals in resting or in spent (II and V) stages from individuals in ripe or in ripe and running stages, indicating that index levels higher than 2 are typical of maturation followed by spawning process. Up to twelve marks, assumed to be annuli, were visible in the sampled otoliths. Three to five years old were the dominant age classes and only 7.7% of fish were 7 years old or older. Age estimates ranged between 2 and 8 years for males and between 2 and 12 years for females. Estimated growth parameters were: L∞ = 1477 ± 18.73 mm; k = 0.200 ± 0.016 year−1; and t0 = −4.58 ± 0.413 year. Biological aspects of the black scabbardfish suggest that this species has a generalist life-history strategy.