Reproductive Biology of Male European Hake (Merluccius merluccius) in Central Mediterranean Sea: An Overview from Macroscopic to Molecular Investigation

Simple Summary The vast majority of the world's commercial fish stocks are considered overfished. Among demersal species, in the Mediterranean Sea, the European hake (Merluccius merluccius) is experiencing high fishing pressure, resulting in a critical overexploitation status. The reproductive pattern of the male sex is poorly investigated. In order to provide scientific advice for its sustainable management, this study gave, for the first time in the Central Mediterranean Sea, an overview of the reproductive biology of male European hakes, by using a multidisciplinary approach. The sex ratio throughout the three-year period and by length class showed that males dominated the population from February to June and up to 24 cm, respectively. The reproduction occurred all year round with a seasonal peak in spring/summer. The macroscopic and histological sizes at first maturity were 18.6 cm and 15.4 cm, respectively. The entire reproductive cycle was unequivocally identified by five histological developmental stages of the testis. Finally, the molecular approach allowed us to investigate endocrine regulation from the onset of puberty to the adult lifecycle. The improvement of scientific knowledge about overexploited fishery resources allow us to provide scientific advice for their management and stock protection. By using a multidisciplinary approach, the aim of the study was to characterize, for the first time in the Central Mediterranean Sea (GSA 17), the reproductive biology of males of M. merluccius, currently highly exploited. A multi-year sampling from January 2017 to December 2019 was performed to exhaustively evaluate the sex ratio of the stock, while the 2018 annual sampling was selected to investigate the reproductive pattern of males. Individuals in spawning conditions were found every month, proving that M. merluccius is an asynchronous species, reproducing all year round, with a seasonal reproductive peak in spring/summer, as indicated by GSI. Five gonadal development stages were defined to fully describe the reproductive cycle of males. The macroscopic and histological L-50, respectively 18.6 cm and 15.4 cm, were both below the Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS). According to the mRNA levels, fsh and lh played a significant role during spermiation, whereas the gnrhr2a was involved at the beginning of sexual maturity. In the testis, fshr and lhr reached maximum expression levels before the spermiation. The hormonal stimuli of 11-ketotestosterone and its receptor were significantly higher when the specimen was in reproductive activity.