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¹ National Institute of Fisheries Science, Food Safety and Processing Research Division, Busan 46083, Korea
² National Institute of Fisheries Science, Costal Water Fisheries Resources Research Division, Busan 46083, Korea DOI : 10.4194/1303-2712-v17_4_09 Viewed : 4266 - Downloaded : 4311 Seasonal variations of proximate and body compositions of chub mackerel Scomber japonicus from the coastal waters of Korea were correlated with gonad morphology were determined in this study. Crude lipid content was 4.99–19.27 g/100 g, with the highest and lowest values observed in December and March, respectively. Correlations (r2 values) with total length, body weight, and crude lipid content were relatively high (0.71–0.81) from September to December. In subsequent group analyses of total length (<25, 25–30, 30–35, 35–40, and >40 cm), crude lipid content trends were investigated, and number of mackerel with total length of >35 cm was the lowest at the start of spawning season in April. In addition, the highest gonadosomatic index (GSI) was observed at this time, and it differed significantly in <35 cm long mackerel from that during the other months. Crude protein content was also the highest in April and was strongly associated with total length and body weight. Moreover, GSI was correlated with crude protein content, with r2 values of 0.72 in April and 0.59 in May. Thus, seasonal variations in proximate composition were intimately related with the spawning season and total length of mackerel was coincided with the maturation stage of the fish. Keywords : Chub mackerel, seasonal variation, proximate composition, crude lipid, gonadosomatic index, spawning season