Size at Maturity, Fecundity, and Embryonic Growth of the Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) in British Columbia Waters

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Abstract
Information on the biology of dogfish in British Columbia waters, none of it previously reported, is compared with similar information from other areas of the North Pacific as well as the North Atlantic.Males and females on both sides of the Pacific have an approximate maximum size of 100 and 130 cm, respectively, or at least 10 cm greater than in the North Atlantic. Females in the North Pacific mature at an average length of 92–100 cm depending on region, as compared to 77–82 cm in the North Atlantic. Males likewise mature at a larger size in the North Pacific.Observations in Canadian west coast waters show a weak correlation between number of embryos and length of the mother (r = 0.57).Female dogfish produce 2–17 young with an average of 6–7 in the North Pacific off the British Columbia coast; 3–25, averaging 12 in the Sea of Japan; 1–9, averaging 4 in the northwest Atlantic; and 1–10, averaging 3–5 in the northeast Atlantic. Size at birth is about the same throughout the northern hemisphere being between 23 and 30 cm with an average of 25–27 cm.Intrauterine growth rate is essentially the same in all regions, but at any given time of year differences is size are substantial and are determined largely by differences in time of conception.

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