Spratelloides gracilis Herring Spawning Frenzy

This is the pandemonium of silver-stripe round herrings (Spratelloides gracilis) engaged in a spawning frenzy. The fish, called kibinago in Japan, gather in enormous quantities, numbering in the hundreds of thousands to millions in this instance. They spawned for at least five days, with reproductive activity being concentrated in hours of low light. In most cases, females (those with yellowish green stripes) scrape the sand as they deposit eggs. Males (darker color) converge to fertilize, with the action taking place at blinding speed. Here, the fish concentrated their reproductive fervor around a small colony of Pavona decussata leaf coral. Spawning of this species at this location has not been reported before. This may be the first documented instance. The water was unseasonably cold (18-20ºC vs normal 22-23ºC) due to late arrival of the warm Kuroshio current. Photographed in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

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Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication, reproduction or usage without prior written permission.
Image Size: 8051x5367 / 247.3MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Bony Fish Herring Animalia Chordata Osteichthyes Teleostei Clupeiformes Spratelloididae Spratelloides gracilis Silver-stripe Round Herring Slender Sprat Kibinago Minnow Kibi-nago Reproduction Spawning Aggregation Pacific Japan Kagoshima Prefecture
Contained in galleries: Marine Life | Japan, Marine Life Reproduction, Fish Photos

This is the pandemonium of silver-stripe round herrings (Spratelloides gracilis) engaged in a spawning frenzy. The fish, called kibinago in Japan, gather in enormous quantities, numbering in the hundreds of thousands to millions in this instance. They spawned for at least five days, with reproductive activity being concentrated in hours of low light. In most cases, females (those with yellowish green stripes) scrape the sand as they deposit eggs. Males (darker color) converge to fertilize, with the action taking place at blinding speed. Here, the fish concentrated their reproductive fervor around a small colony of Pavona decussata leaf coral. Spawning of this species at this location has not been reported before. This may be the first documented instance. The water was unseasonably cold (18-20ºC vs normal 22-23ºC) due to late arrival of the warm Kuroshio current. Photographed in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.