This study on the reproduction of the Canary dentex (Dentex canariensis) is the first of its kind to be carried out on the Senegalese coast. Samples were collected monthly in strata of 30 individuals from December 2021 to November 2022. For each individual, sex, stage of sexual maturity, total length (TL, mm), fork length (FL, mm), total weight (TW, g), eviscerated weight (EVW, g), visceral weight (VW, g), gonad weight (GW, g) and gonad section weight (GSW, g) were recorded. The gonado-somatic ratio shows that the Canary dentex breeds between March and June, with a peak in April and May. The fertility study involved 23 females. Sizes of individuals ranged from 200 to 376 mm (TL) for females and 222 to 385 mm (TL) for males, while total weights varied between 95.31 and 721.31 g (TW) for females and 146.9 to 843.2g (TW) for males. Females reach sexual maturity at 227.4 mm (TL), while Males reach at a length of 261.4 mm (TL). Mean absolute fecundity was estimated at 14,428 oocytes (± 6,553). The corresponding mean relative fecundity was 55 oocytes (± 28) per gram of mature females. Oocyte diameter ranged from 0.37 to 1.31 mm. These results could be of great interest for the management of this species, as well as the development of its fisheries on a local, regional and sub-regional scale.
Keywords: Dakar Peninsula, Dentex canariensis, Senegal, reproduction
