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Aspects of the biology of the musselcracker Sparodon durhanensis, an important shore-angling species on the south-eastern coast of South Africa, are described from material collected between August 1984 and March 1987. Juvenile fish live in tidal pools and in shallow subtidal waters, where they feed on a variety of small invertebrates and chlorophytes. Larger fish are more common in deeper water down to about 30 m, but they also feed inshore, consuming large invertebrate prey such as gastropods, pelecypods, solitary ascidians, crustaceans and amphineurans. They are rudimentary hermaphrodites, mature at approximately 350 mm fork length and have a restricted breeding season between August and January, during which period they spawn small pelagic eggs. Growth studies based on 5ectioned sagittal otoliths reveal musselcracker to be slow-growing and long-lived. that both sex.es grow at a similar rate and that they can survive to at least 31 years of age. The specie, is likely to be highly susceptible to overexploitation even though the fish are not commercially exploited. and more stringent management measures are called for to ensure the survival of the species as a recreational angling resource.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences
Research Group:	Fisheries sciences
Research Field:	Fisheries sciences not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences
UTAS Author:	Buxton, CD (Professor Colin Buxton)
ID Code:	48445
Year Published:	1991
Web of Science® Times Cited:	64
Deposited By:	TAFI - Marine Research Laboratory
Deposited On:	2007-08-01
Last Modified:	2010-01-20
Downloads:	6 View Download Statistics