Morphometics and gonadal development of the hagfish Eptatretus cirrhatus in New Zealand.

ABSTRACT: Hagfishes have been the target of commercial fisheries in many areas of the world, with the catch processed for leather and for human consumption. A fishery has been operating in New Zealand waters for the last six years, harvesting the bearded hagfish, Eptatretus cirrhatus. The fishery has thus far been unregulated. Based on samples collected dockside over a two-year period, this report expands the morphometric database for this species, provides information on the size and weight of the harvested animals, determines the sizes at the onset of gonadal development and the minimum sizes at sexual maturation for males and females, and indicates that E. cirrhatus, like most other hagfish species, has no specific breeding season. Although females appear in the population at smaller sizes, the s

SUBMITTER: Martini FH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3826707 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature