Commercial catch composition and reproductive biology of rig(Mustelus lenticulatus)from Pegasus Bay, Canterbury, New Zealand

Abstract

The 1982/83 set‐net rig (Mustelus lenticulatus Phillipps, 1932) catch from Pegasus Bay is described with respect to fish length, sex, and maturity. Of the estimated 30 000 rig caught in set nets from November 1982 to April 1983, 56% were males. Males dominated catches in November and December 1982, whereas females dominated from January 1983 onwards. Eighty‐four percent of males were mature compared with 30% of females. Overall, the set‐net fishery was based mainly on mature males and immature females (48% and 31% of the total set‐net catch, respectively). Male rig matured at about 89 cm total length (TL) and females matured at about 106 cm TL. Most females probably give birth in September‐October and ovulate a new set of eggs from October to December. Male and female embryos occurred in equal numbers.