New data on spawning, hatching and growth of the Kerguelen Islands Champsocephalus gunnari shelf stock

Combined studies on the inner shelf and outer shelf of the Kerguelen islands (1989/90 to 1992/93) provides new informations about Champsocephalus gunnari stock. An inner shelf quaterly programme allows to identify each year, both from the ichthyoplanktonic surveys and bottom trawlings, an annual cohort. Strong differences in abundance of larvae are observed yearly. One cohort seems dominant in the samples along the study. It would explain the previouly observed three years cycle. Spawners have been observed in mass only once during the studied period and are fishes of the 1988 cohort first spawning during the winter 1991/