![]() All males smaller than 125 cm L T were immature while males larger than 187 cm L T were mature, as indicated by the presence of heavily calcified claspers, which extended beyond the posterior end of the pelvic fins. Ovary weight varied from 4–137 g and maximum oocyte diameter was 21.1 mm in mature females. ![]() Gonad observation revealed that females smaller than 120 cm L T had immature ovaries with no mature oocytes, while mature ovaries with visible yolky oocytes were present in specimens larger than 203 cm L T. Males predominated and the sex-ratio (1:1.8) showed an increase in the proportion of males as size of fish increased. A total of 870 blue sharks ranging from 70 to 349 cm in total length (L T) were sampled from the swordfish longline fishery in the Mediterranean Sea during the period 1998–2003. ![]()
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