BATCH FECUNDITY OF ENGRAULIS-ENCRASICOLUS L IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN ADRIATIC SEA

Engraulis encrasicolus L. is a multiple spawner (BLAXTER and HUNTER, 1 982), with different batches of eggs every year. The fecundity of this Clupeiform in the waters of the lower Adriatic was studied using, for the first lime, the hydrated egg method (Hunter and Goldberg, 1980). The collection of the anchovies was carried out in the months of June and July 1993, using commercial and chartered vessels fitted with flyi ng, ''midwater pair trawls (PT)'', ''midwater otter trawls (OT)'' and ''purse seine''(PS). The batch fecundity of Engraulis F can be express ed as a linear regression between the number of eggs and the ovary-fre e weight W-h; the regression equation for hydrated females without ne wpostovulatory follicles collected during the fishing season was F = - 186.7+448.4 W-h; r(2) = 0.82. The relative fecundity (number of hydra ted oocytes per gram from ovary-free females) of the 72 hydrated femal es was, however, 437.2 with a variance of 49.3 and a coefficient of va riation of 1.60; this is compared with those of other Clupeiforms.