Maturity and sexuality in Barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Bloch), in the Northern Territory and south-eastern Gulf of Carpentaria

Abstract

The histological events associated with gonad maturation in male and female L. calcarifer are described. Females are normally derived from post-spawning males. A histological description of the process of sex inversion is presented. The lengths of males at first maturity in the Northern Territory and south-eastern Gulf of Carpentaria were 600 and 550 mm, respectively. Most fish were changing sex at lengths of 900 and 850 mm, respectively in these areas. These size differences were due to a slower growth rate of barramundi in the Gulf of Carpentaria, both processes being related to age rather than to size.