FISHERIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE,MOA,TAIWAN

The buccaneer anchovy (Encrasicholina punctifer Fowler, 1938) is one of the major species caught by the coastal larval anchovy fisheries around Taiwan. The morphology of buccaneer anchovy is similar to that of its congener E. heteroloba (Rüppell, 1837), which is always caught simultaneously or subsequently by the same fisheries. Most previous studies of the species have focused on the larval stage, that is, when the fish are younger than 30 days old, because the study samples were collected from fishery catches that were caught with gear that selectively targets larval anchovies. However, for the purpose of conservation and management, understanding the growth of the population after early-life stage exploitation is necessary. Therefore, in order to explore the growth parameters after the larval stage, 258 specimens of juvenile buccaneer anchovy (>30 days old) were collected from the waters off southwestern Taiwan (Fang-liao) during 2002 and 2006. For each specimen, the standard length (SL) was measured, the sexual maturity stage was determined, and the otoliths (sagittae) were extracted for microstructure analysis. The length composition of the juvenile anchovy caught in the waters off southwestern Taiwan ranged from 31.1 to 78.7 mm SL, while their ages ranged from 30 to 77 days. The growth rate, estimated from the von Bertalanffy growth function, of the buccaneer anchovy was 0.56 mm d-1, which is similar to those of other tropical anchovies. These data provide critical information regarding management strategies for the larval anchovy fisheries in Taiwan.