Notes on juvenile sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus (Shaw and Nodder, 1791), caught in the Mexican Pacific

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to report 11 juvenile specimens of sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, caught on three commercial fishing trips carried out in the Mexican Pacific Ocean, in July 1994 in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, in August 1994 at Cabo Corrientes and in September 1994 at the mouth of the Gulf of California. The sea surface temperature was 29.0°C at the mouth of the Gulf of California, 29.0°C at Cabo Corrientes and 32.0°C in the Gulf of Tehuantepec. The minimum total length was 79 mm and minimum eye-fork length, 43 mm. The maximum total length was 218 mm and maximum eye-fork length, 105 mm. The capture of these fish indicates that the reproduction zone for sailfish extends at least from the mouth of the Gulf of California to the Gulf of Tehuantepec, which corresponds to the area with the highest abundance of adults in the Mexican Pacific Ocean.