ARTILLERY

:ohmy: I was just doing some research, and found this: It is taken from a NZ website so growth rates may vary ever so slightly but it gives a good indication.:cheer: :cheer: When spawning takes place, the schools rise and fall in the warm water, releasing large numbers of eggs and sperm. There have been observations made of this process, including those of schools drifting about just below the surface, rolling over on their sides to release their gametes (a specialized sex cell that fuses with another). The whole school spawns at the same time, and being serial spawners, individual fish will do the ‘wild thing’ several times in one season.It is a possible that much of this activity takes place at night. Sound familiar? Observations, however, have been rare, and much is still to be learnt about this process. Aquarium observations have in some cases shown the female followed by three or more males, nudging and fin-nipping each other, as she swims vertically to the surface, where the fish release eggs and sperm. On other occasions it was a one-on-one affair.The eggs are spherical in shape and very small, about 1mm in diameter. They are externally fertilized and float near or on the surface for a day or two before hatching. Spawning success is less related to the number of parent fish than to the conditions at spawning time and during the months following. Warm summer-to-autumn temperatures appear to allow greater survival of eggs, larvae and juveniles. After a series of warm years the fishable stock will increase, with a time lag of four to five years (the time from spawning to full recruitment as adults). After cool years the stock level will decline.It is also believed that larvae and very young fish are presumably mid-water or bottom dwelling. None have been taken in surface plankton hauls over known spawning grounds.At several months old, these infant fish are around 2cm in length and perfect miniatures of adult fish. All are female. After about a year they are only 10cm long, and it takes a few more years before they reach the stage where a sex change takes place, with about half becoming males. Growth rates are measured by counting scale rings, with each ring showing a winter where growth almost stops, or by counting annual rings in the ear bones (otoliths). Our average school fish are 4 to 10 years old, with the larger specimens reaching 60 years old.A growth rate indictor would be something like this: Growth: 1 year = 10cm; 2 years = 16cm; 3 years = 21cm; 4 years = 30cm; 5 years = 33cm (@ 0.5kg); 6 years = 35cm; then about 1cm per year.

saw these snaps in 3ft of water,would,nt eat baits,spawning fish 20lb to 25lbs.followed then around for awile untill it got so shallow there backs were outa the water and hull of boat on bottom.