Abstract

The reproductive condition of the jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas is poorly understood in Chile, through an oceanic-coastal migratory pattern during maturity and spawning has been suggested. The aim of this study was to describe the jumbo squid reproductive condition at the coastal zone off south-central Chile. For this, 1,335 specimens were analyzed from January-December 2014 to estimate their macroscopic sexual maturity and gonadosomatic index (IGS). The sexual proportion showed deviations of 1:1 in all months with a high dominance of females in January. Significant differences were found in the IGS between sexes and months, while maturity stages were relatively constant along time. Most recorded squids were immature, and only two mature females were found, suggesting that spawning occurs in oceanic waters off Chile.