The snowy grouper (Hyporthodus niveatus) is a commercially valuable deepwater grouper that is managed by the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council. This study updates life history parameters of snowy grouper caught off North and South Carolina from 1979 through 2012 by commercial and research vessels (number of fish sampled: 5314). On the basis of samples collected in 2008-2012, size at age has decreased since the 1990s, and size and age at maturity have increased in comparison with data pooled from the 1980s and 1990s. However, no significant changes in size and age at sex transition were noted between the 2000s and the 1980s-1990s. This study confirmed that snowy grouper are protogynous and that the spawning season in this region is broader than previously reported. In addition, we found that spawning frequency varied with size and age and was influenced by lunar phase, with most spawning occurring around the new moon. Results indicate that snowy grouper in the study area have started a slow recovery from overfishing.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.