Register      Login
Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > MF > MF05178
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 58(1)

The reproductive cycle of the smooth skate, Malacoraja senta, in the Gulf of Maine

James A. Sulikowski A B E , Scott Elzey A , Jeff Kneebone A , Joe Jurek C , W. Huntting Howell A and Paul C. W. Tsang D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A University of New Hampshire, Zoology Department, Spaulding Hall, 46 College Road, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA.

B Present address: Marine Science Center, University of New England, 11 Hills Beach Rd, Biddeford, ME 04005, USA.

C Yankee Fishing Coop, Route 1A, Seabrook, New Hampshire 03874, USA.

D University of New Hampshire, Department of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, Kendall Hall, 129 Main St, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA.

E Corresponding author. Email: jsulikowski@une.edu

Marine and Freshwater Research 58(1) 98-103 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF05178
Submitted: 12 September 2005  Accepted: 26 July 2006   Published: 30 January 2007

Abstract

The smooth skate (Malacoraja senta) is a small species of skate that is native to the waters of the north-western Atlantic. Recent assessments in the Gulf of Maine indicate that the biomass of smooth skates has declined below threshold levels mandated by the Sustainable Fisheries Act. This decline, coupled with the paucity of biological data, has prompted the National Marine Fisheries Service to prohibit the possession of smooth skates in this region. Consequently, crucial life history information is now being collected, which could be used in the formulation of a management plan. The present study describes and characterises the reproductive cycle of female and male smooth skates, based on monthly samples taken off the coast of New Hampshire, USA, from May 2001 to April 2002. Gonadosomatic index (GSI), hepatosomatic index (HSI), shell gland weight, follicle size and egg case formation were assessed for 79 female skates. In general, these reproductive parameters remained relatively constant throughout most of the year. Additionally, the size distribution of ovarian follicles in females captured each month did not vary significantly. For males (n = 81), histological stages of spermatogenesis III to VI (SIII-SVI), GSI and HSI were examined. No significant differences were detected in male reproductive parameters, and production and maintenance of mature spermatocysts within the testes were observed throughout the year. Collectively, these findings indicate that, like other north Atlantic skate species, the smooth skate is reproductively active year-round.

Additional keywords: elasmobranch, ovary, spermatogenesis.


Acknowledgments

Collection of skates was conducted by F/V Mystique Lady. We thank Noel Carlson for maintenance of the fish at the University of New Hampshire Coastal Marine Laboratory. This project was supported by a Northeast Consortium grant (# NA16FL1324) to P. Tsang and J. Sulikowski.


References

Bonfil R. (1994). ‘Overview of World Elasmobranch Fisheries.’ FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 341. (FAO: Rome.)

Casey, J. M. , and Myers, R. A. (1998). Near extinction of a large widely distributed fish. Science 281, 690–692.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Hamlett W. C., and Koob T. J. (1999). Female reproductive system. In ‘Sharks, Skates and Rays; the Biology of Elasmobranch Fish’. (Ed. W. C. Hamlett.) pp. 398–444. (Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD.)

Heupel, M. R. , Whittier, J. M. , and Bennett, M. B. (1999). Plasma steroid hormone profiles and reproductive biology of the epaulette shark, Hemiscyllium ocellatum. The Journal of Experimental Zoology 284, 586–594.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Hoenig J. M., and Gruber S. H. (1990). Life history patterns in the elasmobranchs: implications for fisheries management. In ‘Elasmobranchs as Living Resources: Advances in the Biology, Ecology, Systematics and the Status of the Fisheries’. NOAA Technical Report NMFS 90. (Eds H. L. Pratt, S. H. Gruber and T. Tanuichi.) pp. 1–16. (NOAA: Springfield, VA.)

Koob, T. J. , Tsang, P. , and Callard, I. P. (1986). Plasma estradiol, testosterone and progesterone levels during the ovulatory cycle of the little skate, Raja erinacea. Biology of Reproduction 35, 267–275.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Martin L. K. (1982). Growth and reproduction of the bat ray, Myliobatis californica, Gill, in California. M.Sc. Thesis, San Jose State University and Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, Monterey Bay, CA.

Maruska, K. P. , Cowie, E. G. , and Tricas, T. C. (1996). Periodic gonadal activity and protracted mating in elasmobranch fishes. The Journal of Experimental Biology 276, 219–232.
McEachran J. D. (2002). Skates: Family Rajidae. In ‘Bigelow and Schroeder’s Fishes of the Gulf of Maine’. 3rd edn. (Eds B. Collette and G. Klein-MacPhee.) pp. 60–75. (Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington DC.)

Musick J. A. (1999). Ecology and conservation of long-lived marine animals. In ‘Life in the Slow Lane: Ecology and Conservation of Long-Lived Marine Animals’. American Fishery Society Symposium 23. (Ed. J. A. Musick.) pp. 1–10. (American Fisheries Society: Bethesda, MD.)

Musick J. A. (2004). Introduction: management of sharks and their relatives (Elasmobranchii). In ‘Elasmobranch Fisheries Management Techniques’. Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Publication No. 203-FS-03.2. (Eds J. A. Musick and R. Bonfil.) pp. 1–6. (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation: Singapore.)

New England Fishery Management Council (2001). ‘2000 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report for the Northeast Skate Complex.’ (New England Fishery Management Council: Newburyport, MA.)

New England Fishery Management Council (2003). ‘Skate Fisheries Management Plan.’ (New England Fishery Management Council: Newburyport, MA.)

New England Fishery Management Council (2005). ‘Skate Annual Review.’ (New England Fishery Management Council: Newburyport, MA.)

Parsons, G. R. , and Grier, H. J. (1992). Seasonal changes in the shark testicular structure and spermatogenesis. The Journal of Experimental Zoology 261, 173–184.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Robins C. R., and Ray G. C. (1986). ‘A Field Guide to Atlantic Coast Fishes of North America.’ (Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, MA.)

Snelson, F. F. , Williams-Hopper, S. E. , and Schmid, T. H. (1988). Reproduction and ecology of the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina, in Florida coastal lagoons. Copeia 3, 729–739.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Snelson, F. F. , Rasmussen, L. E. L. , Johnson, M. R. , and Hess, D. L. (1997). Serum concentrations of steroid hormones during reproduction in the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina. General and Comparative Endocrinology 108, 67–79.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

Sulikowski, J. A. , Tsang, P. C. W. , and Howell, W. H. (2004). An annual cycle of steroid hormone concentrations and gonad development in the winter skate, Leucoraja ocellata, from the western Gulf of Maine. Marine Biology 144, 845–853.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Sulikowski, J. A. , Kneebone, J. , Elzey, S. , Danley, P. , Howell, W. H. , and Tsang, P. W. C. (2005a). Age and growth estimates of the thorny skate, Amblyraja radiata, in the Gulf of Maine. Fishery Bulletin 3, 161–168.


Sulikowski, J.A. , Kneebone, J. , Elzey, S. , Danley, P. , Howell, W. H. , and Tsang, P.W.C. (2005b). The reproductive cycle of the thorny skate (Amblyraja radiata) in the western Gulf of Maine. Fishery Bulletin 103, 536–543.


Sulikowski, J. A. , Tsang, P. W. C. , and Howell, W. H. (2005c). Age and size at sexual maturity for the winter skate, Leucoraja ocellata, in the western Gulf of Maine based on morphological, histological and steroid hormone analyses. Environmental Biology of Fishes 72, 429–441.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Sumpter, J. P. , and Dodd, J. M. (1979). The annual reproductive cycle of the female lesser spotted dogfish, Scyliorhinus canicula, and its endocrine control. Journal of Fish Biology 15, 687–695.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Teshima, K. (1981). Studies on the reproduction of the Japanese smooth dogfishes, Mustelus manazo and Mustelus griseus. Journal of the Shimonoseki University of Fisheries 29, 113–199.


Tricas, T. C. , Maruska, K. P. , and Rasmussen, L. E. L. (2000). Annual cycles of steroid hormone production, gonad development, and reproductive behavior in the Atlantic stingray. General and Comparative Endocrinology 118, 209–225.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

Tsang, P. , and Callard, I. P. (1987). Morphological and endocrine correlates of the reproductive cycle of the aplacental viviparous dogfish, Squalus acanthias. General and Comparative Endocrinology 66, 182–189.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |

Winemiller, K. O. , and Rose, K. A. (1992). Patterns of life history diversification in North American fishes: implication for population regulation. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 49, 2196–2218.


Wourms, J.P. (1977). Reproduction and development in chondrichthyan fishes. American Zoologist 17, 379–410.