ADULT REPRODUCTIVE PARAMETERS OF PACIFIC SARDINE (SARDINOPS-SAGAX) DURING 1994

The average female Pacific sardine, Sardinops sagax, spawned about onc e every 15 days along the Pacific coast off California and Baja Califo rnia during April-May 1994. The relation between batch fecundity and f emale weight without the ovary (W-of) was best estimated by the equati on F-b = -10,585 + 439.53W(of). Fifty percent of the females reached s exual maturity by 158.6 mm standard length (95% CI 155 mm-162 mm). Dat a from surveys off California during 1986-1988 combined with the 1994 data indicated that peak daily spawning occurs between 19:00 and 22:59 . The spawning cycle of sardine females with active ovaries averaged a bout one spawning every 7 days during 1986-94 off California. Our inte rpretation of the literature on sardine spawning indicates that they m ay spawn at similar rates in Chile, Japan, Australia, and South Africa . Finally, off California differences existed between months in the fr action of females that had active ovaries. These differences may indic ate movements of groups of Pacific sardine away from and into the surv ey area.