Development of the unmanaged waved whelk (Buccinum undatum) fishery on the Mid-Atlantic continental shelf of the United States has initiated investigation into fisheries-related biological and population attributes of the species in this region. Maturation and reproduction timing vary by location for this species and are likely linked to bottom water temperature. This study examined the seasonal fluctuations in relevant body metrics and gonadosomatic index in relation to bottom temperature to assess the timing of the reproductive cycle of the B. undatum population in the southern-most extent of this species’ range in the Atlantic. To characterize variation over the maturation schedule, nine locations in the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) were sampled five times between January 2017 and September 2017. Maturity was assessed macroscopically, with morphological methods, and via gonadosomatic indices. Male behavioral maturity estimates, based on a penis length to shell length index (PL50), were compared to estimates made using other methods for assessing maturity to test the efficacy of this commonly used ratio. Mature whelk were found in all months and peak reproductive activity was observed in spring and early summer. This timing suggests that ideal sampling to visually identify maturity to estimate size of maturity would be late winter or early spring. Unique oceanographic dynamics in the MAB, such as strong seasonal stratification results in large changes in annual bottom temperature which appears to be closely linked to the reproductive cycle in this region. Our data suggest that B. undatum in the MAB experience spawning and development at ~ 7–8 °C; temperatures warmer than Canadian populations and cooler than some UK conspecifics. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document the annual reproductive cycle of waved whelk in the United States.

中文翻译：

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在美国大西洋中部海域，波浪状海棠（Buccinum undatum）繁殖周期的时间安排

在美国中大西洋大陆架上未经管理的波浪式海螺（Buccinum undatum）渔业的发展已开始对该区域与该种类有关的渔业相关生物和种群属性的调查。该物种的成熟和繁殖时机因位置而异，可能与底水温度有关。这项研究检查了与底部温度有关的相关人体指标和性腺机能指数的季节性波动，以评估大西洋该物种范围最南端的und。B. undatum种群的繁殖周期。为了表征成熟时间表上的变化，在2017年1月至2017年9月期间，对大西洋中部海岸线（MAB）的9个位置进行了5次采样。用形态学方法，并通过性腺体指数。将基于阴茎长度与壳长指数（PL50）的男性行为成熟度估计值与使用其他方法来评估成熟度的方法进行的估计值进行比较，以测试该常用比例的功效。在所有月份都发现了成熟的幼体，并且在春季和初夏观察到了最高的繁殖活性。此时间表明，理想的抽样以视觉方式识别到期日以估计到期日的大小将是冬季末或早春。人与生物圈计划中独特的海洋动力学，例如强烈的季节性分层，会导致年底温度发生较大变化，这似乎与该区域的繁殖周期密切相关。我们的数据表明MAB undatum会在〜7–8°C时产生和发育。气温比加拿大人口高，比英国某些物种低。据我们所知，这是第一个记录美国波动性鲸的年度生殖周期的研究。