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Aspects of the reproductive biology of the blue shark Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758) in the coastal waters of Ivory Coast, West Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 April 2019

Kouassi Yves Narcisse Kouamé ,
Kouadio Justin Konan ,
Nahoua Issa Ouattara  and
Tidiani Koné
Kouassi Yves Narcisse Kouamé
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Hydrobiologie, UFR Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d'Ivoire
Kouadio Justin Konan*
Affiliation:
Centre de Recherches Océanologiques, BP V 18 Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Nahoua Issa Ouattara
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Hydrobiologie, UFR Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22, Côte d'Ivoire
Tidiani Koné
Affiliation:
UFR Environnement, Université Jean Lorougnon Guédé, BP 150 Daloa, Côte d'Ivoire
*
Author for correspondence: Kouadio Justin Konan, E-mail: konankouadjustin@yahoo.fr
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Abstract

The blue shark Prionace glauca is the most abundant species in the artisanal driftnet fishery off the coastal waters of Ivory Coast. The reproductive parameters were investigated with the aim of providing basic information on the reproductive biology for fisheries management. A total of 424 specimens (256 males and 168 females) ranging from 170–330 cm in total length (TL) were sampled between August 2014 and November 2016. Sample for embryonic sex ratio was obtained from 18 litters of 503 individuals (255 males and 248 females). The embryonic sex ratio was not significantly different from 1:1 (χ2 = 0.10, P > 0.05, N = 503). The size at 50% maturity (L50) was 218.1 cm TL for males and 223.3 cm TL for females. The litter size based on the number of embryos varied from 6 to 62, with an average of 30 embryos. Mating started in July whereas ovulation, fertilization and uterine eggs occurred in late October–November. Smallest embryos of 3–5 cm in stretch total length (STL) appeared in uterus from November to January. The embryo size varied widely among months, and well-pigmented embryos were already present in April–May samples, although most of them occurred in August–September, suggesting a gestation period of around 11 months. The absence of neonates in catches, as well as parturition females, does not support a hypothesis that parturition takes place in the Gulf of Guinea.

Keywords

Atlantic Oceanblue sharkfecundityreproductive biologysex ratioWest Africa
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 99 , Issue 6 , September 2019 , pp. 1435 - 1441
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2019 

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