A Comparative Study on the Spawning and Reproductive Potential of Rocky Reef Fishes from the Buenos Aires Coastal Area, Argentina

This study analyzed the reproduction of three species that inhabit the coastal rocky reefs in the Buenos Aires coastal zone (Argentina): the Patagonian Grouper Acanthistius patachonicus , the Argentine Sandperch Pseudopercis semifasciata , and the Red Porgy Pagrus pagrus . The specimens were collected from the coastal area (34°–43°S) during seven research cruises carried out between 2005 and 2019. In addition, samples of the Patagonian Grouper from commercial landings from the port of Necochea were collected between 2012 and 2013. The three species are batch spawners with indeterminate annual fecundity. The gonadal maturation cycle showed that reproduction occurs between September and December for the Patagonian Grouper but is longer in the Argentine Sandperch and Red Porgy, occurring during the austral spring and summer. The batch fecundity estimates for these three species were positively and significantly related to maternal characteristics (total length and total weight without ovaries). The relative fecundity estimated for Argentine Sandperch was much lower than that estimated for the Patagonian Grouper and Red Porgy. These species presented a high reproductive frequency, being three days for the Patagonian Grouper and Argentine Sandperch and two days for the Red Porgy. By combining the information on the reproductive parameters estimated for the all species, while also considering the length of the spawning periods, it could be concluded that the Red Porgy is the species with a higher reproductive potential.