Batch fecundity of Engraulis encrasicolus L in the south-western Adriatic sea

Engraulis encrasicolus L. is a multiple spawner (BLAXTER and HUNTER, 1982), 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 flying, ''midwater pair trawls (PT)'', ''midwater otter trawls (OT)'' and ''purse seine''(PS). The batch fecundity of Engraulis F can be expressed as a linear regression between the number of eggs and the ovary-free weight W-h*; the regression equation for hydrated females without newpostovulatory follicles collected during the fishing season was F = -186.7+448.4 W-h*; r(2) = 0.82. The relative fecundity (number of hydrated oocytes per gram from ovary-free females) of the 72 hydrated females was, however, 437.2 with a variance of 49.3 and a coefficient of variation of 1.60; this is compared with those of other Clupeiforms.