UNEXPECTED REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGY OF SARDINELLA-AURITA OFF THE COAST OF VENEZUELA

Biological sampling of Spanish sardine (Sardinella aurita Valenciennes , 1847) off the coast of Venezuela from 1956 to 1989 was used to study the reproductive strategy and migration pattern of the population. Wh ereas in many pelagic fishes the energy re-allocation necessary for re production usually occurs optimally at the end of the upwelling season when planktonic production reaches a maximum, in the present study a 5 mo delay was observed. This suggests that energy was stored as lipid s early in the season and released later via metabolism for gamete pro duction. Major reproduction did not occur in an area and at a time whe n offshore transport and turbulence were low, which is also unusual fo r a pelagic fish species. These results are discussed in terms of the life cycle of the Spanish sardine and its possible migratory patterns. The reproductive strategy of this population apparently gives priorit y to optimising food availability for the offspring and not to prevent ing eggs and larvae being transported offshore. The presence of ''rete ntion'' areas could explain this unexpected strategy.