Age, Growth, and Temporal Change in Size at Age of the Vermilion Snapper from the South Atlantic Bight

Abstract

Sectioned sagittal otoliths were used to determine ages of vermilion snapper Rhomboplites aurorubens collected from the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) by trawl, trap, and hook-andline gear during 1979-1993. Annulus formation, validated by marginal increment analysis of ages 1-8, occurred from June to August, the peak spawning period for vermilion snapper. Ages ranged from 0 to 12 years for each sex. No significant difference was found for size at age between males and females. The von Bertalanffy growth equation for vermilion snapper taken during 1979-1981 was TL, = 562{ 1 -exp[-0.202(/ + 0.117)]}, where TL, = total length (mm) at age and / = age in years. The length-weight relationship was w = 2.147 X 10 5 TL--899 , where w = whole fish weight in grams. Weighted mean back-calculated lengths at age, compared by analysis of variance for five 3-year periods, declined from 1979-1981 through 1982-1984 to 1985-1987. but did not change significantly during 1985-1993. The temporal decrease in size at age did not appear to result from gear selectivity, sampling strategies, or the varying depths and latitudes of sampling areas, but reflected changes in growth that may have been caused by ovcrfishing. In general, caution should be used when growth parameters derived from an overfished population are used to evaluate the biological impacts of fisheries management actions.

Age-specific demographic parameters, and their implications for management of the red bass, Lutjanus bohar (Forsskal 1775): A large, long-lived reef fish

“…Conversely, the sex-specific differences in the size and age at maturity observed for red bass were consistent both with theoretical expectations (Wootton, 1985) and with the majority of results reported to date for lutjanids (e.g., Manickchand-Dass, 1987;Kaunda-Arara and Ntiba, 1997;Zhao and McGovern, 1997;Hood and Johnson, 1998;Luckhurst et al, 2000;Russell et al, 2003). The average length-at-maturity estimate (i.e., L 50 = 428 mm L F ) for female red bass was less than previous estimates of 445 mm standard length (479 mm L F ) in East Africa (Talbot, 1960), 450 mm L F in Papua New Guinea (Wright et al, 1986), and 510 mm in the Seychelles (length measure unspecified; Wheeler, 1953).…”

The design effects of cluster sampling on the estimation of mean lengths and total mortality of reef fish

“…The growth parameter values estimated in this study are comparable with previous studies (Allman, 2007;Hood and Johnson, 1999;Schirripa, 1992;Zhao et al, 1997). K and L ∞ are highly correlated with each other (Wang, 2000), so variations in these two growth parameters tend to offset each other (Gedamke and Hoenig, 2006), thus limiting their impact on total mortality estimates.…”

Age, growth and population structure of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) in northeast Florida using a length-based, age-structured population model

“…Rapid growth is a trait positively correlated with invasibility and coupled with other life history information (Morris Jr, 2009; Ahrenholz & Morris, 2010; Côté et al, 2013) may help to explain the successful establishment and rapid invasion and of the species and is concerning for potential lionfish impacts in this region through both competition and predation. Other fish in the region that are competing on the same trophic level as lionfish (Layman & Allgeier, 2012) such as black sea bass ( Centropristis striatus ) and vermillion snapper ( Rhomboplites aurorubens ), take a longer time to grow to reproductive size (Hood, Godcharles & Barco, 1994; Zhao, McGovern & Harris, 1997). With both a low size at maturity and fast growth rates, lionfish have the potential to reach a large size and reproduce well before their native competitors.…”