Richards, R. A., Nitschke, P. C., and Sosebee, K. A. 2008. Population biology of monkfish Lophius americanus. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1291–1305. This paper provides an overview of the biology of monkfish in US waters of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean using data from resource surveys spanning the period 1948–2007. Monkfish exhibited seasonal onshore–offshore shifts in distribution, migrated out of the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) in mid-spring, and re-appeared there in autumn. Sex ratios at length for fish 40–65-cm long were skewed towards males in the southern MAB, but approximated unity elsewhere, suggesting that a portion of the population resides outside sampled areas. Growth was linear at 9.9 cm year−1 and did not differ by region or sex. Maximum observed size was 138 cm for females and 85 cm for males. Length at 50% maturity for males was 35.6 cm (4.1 years old) in the north and 37.9 cm (4.3 years old) in the south; for females 38.8 cm (4.6 years old) in the north and 43.8 cm (4.9 years old) in the south. Ripe females were found in shallow (<50 m) and deep (>200 m) water in the south, and in shallow water (<50 m) in the north.
Understanding reproduction and recruitment is essential for the successful conservation of a species. An estimate of the fecundity of cunner Tautogolabrus adspersus is critical for assessing population dynamics and perturbation effects. In this study, we estimated length‐, weight‐, and actual age‐specific fecundity relationships for cunner in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts. We used the gonadosomatic index to assist with selection of mature, prespawning‐size fish for estimating fecundity. We then gravimetrically estimated fecundity for 205 fish 69–185 mm in total length that were collected in May and June 1994. Quadratic models on log10‐transformed length and weight data each explained 71% of the variance in fecundity, and age data explained 57% of the variance. In a test of age‐specific fecundity precision, three age‐specific models (actual age, age back‐calculated from the von Bertalanffy equation, and a calculated age estimate that was expanded to include additional data) produced consistent fecundity estimates. Finally, a comparison of length‐, weight‐, and age‐specific fecundity relationships showed few differences among the models, suggesting that the more easily obtained length‐specific fecundity relationship (log10 F = 24.954log10 L − 5.348log10 L2 − 24.421; R2 = 0.71) is appropriate for future cunner modeling studies.
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