I am not too familiar with cuttlefish biology, but I observed that in my region (North Tuscany, Italy) the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is abundantly present along the coast in shallow water only in late autumn / early winter. I was wondering if they migrate offshore to coastal zones and vice versa depending on the season. Is there anything published about it? Thanks.
Hi Ferruccio,
Reproductive-related migrations to shallower waters are described for the species in African coast. During the spawning season, cuttlefishes move close to the coast, where females deposit their eggs on different types of substrate, generally at depths under 40 m.
See some information about in:
Bakhayokho, M. 1983. Biology of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis hierreda off Senegalese coast: 204-263. In: Caddy, J.F. (ed.) Advances in assessment of world cephalopod resources. FAO FisheriesTechnical Paper, No. 231.
Hatanaka, H. 1979b. Spawning season of the cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis officinalis, off the northwestern coast of Africa. Rapport du Groupe de Travail Ad Hoc sur l'Evaluation des Stocks de Céphalopodes. Santa-Cruz de Ténériffe, Espagne. 18 - 23 septembre 1978. COPACE/PACE SERIES 78/11. Rome. FAO. Pp :63-74.
Cheers!
Hi Ferrucio,
I passed my PhD to study population dynamic of English Channel cuttlefish and to model the stock abundance. You can download the pdf here
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257306583_Contribution_des_frayres_ctires_au_recrutement_du_stock_de_seiche_Sepia_officinalis_de_Manche__lien_entre_le_succs_de_la_phase_pr-recrute_et_l%27abondance_de_la_ressource
You will find a lot of references at the end of the manuscript.
Do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions.
Cheers
Michaël
Thesis Contribution des Frayères Côtières au Recrutement du Stock d...
See recent work done by Sarah Catalano on cuttlefish in southern Australian waters
Kate, I don't think that Sepia officinalis is present in southern Australian waters...
Yes, but I thought you might get some ideas from the population biology of other cuttle fish species which also exhibit spawning aggregations in winter.
See also Victoria Wearmouth's work on electronic tagging and tracking,
E
Ferru this paper may help you:
Spatial and temporal patterns of cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)
abundance and environmental influences – a case study using
trawl fishery data in French Atlantic coastal, English Channel,
and adjacent waters
Dear Ferruccio, if you are interested in the reproductive biology of Sepia pharaonis which is a cosmopolitan coastal species in the Indo-Pacific region, I can share some links and information. I have worked on the culture of this species.
Best regards
Sepia officinalis shows seasonal migration off the Dutch coast. In spring (I believe when water temperatures are around 12 degrees Celsius) they come from the North Sea into the Eastern Scheldt for reproduction. The adults die afterwards, and during the season the juveniles are seen growing in the Eastern Scheldt, until they migrate back into the North Sea.
This paper (and reference therein) might be of some interest to you
Abecasis D, Afonso P, O’Dor RK, Erzini K (2013) Small MPAs do not protect cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis). Fisheries Research 147: 196-201.
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