Age, Growth, and Reproduction of the Red Snapper, Lutjanus Campechanus, from the Atlantic Waters of the Southeastern U.S (original) (raw)
Related papers
PeerJ, 2017
Dog snapper (Lutjanus jocu Bloch and Schneider 1801) and mahogany snapper (Lutjanus mahogoni Cuvier 1828) are infrequently caught snappers in the southeastern U.S. primarily occurring off of southern Florida. The species were opportunistically sampled from commercial and recreational fisheries in the southeastern U.S. from 1979 to 2015. Fish were aged (56 dog snapper and 54 mahogany snapper) by counting opaque zones on sectioned sagittal otoliths. Otoliths of both species were easily interpretable and agreement between readers was acceptable. Analysis of otolith edge-type revealed that annuli formed between May and July on both species. Dog snapper ranged from 200–837 mm total length (TL) and ages 2–33, while mahogany snapper ranged from 270–416 mm TL and ages 2–18. The Von Bertalanffy growth equations were Lt = 746(1–e(−0.20(t−0.32))) and Lt = 334(1–e(0.31(t+1.19))) for dog snapper and mahogany snapper, respectively. The weight-length relations were W = 1.31 × 10−5L3.03(n = 78, r2 ...
2011
Geaghan. Dr. Powers provided valuable insight into fisheries management and stock assessment. Dr. Bargu Ates has provided useful comments and guidance throughout this process and Dr. Geaghan has been a wonderful source of statistical knowledge. I want to thank all of my committee members for the time and effort that they have given to my thesis. This project would not have been possible without the help and support of my fellow lab mates. I am extremely grateful for Dannielle Kulaw, for all of her help in the field and in the laboratory, reading thousands of otoliths, and for her friendship. I especially want to thank to Andy Fischer for teaching me nearly everything I know about otoliths and age and growth research, and Dr. Kevin Boswell for all of his guidance and encouragement throughout my graduate studies. Dr. Boswell has been a wealth of information, from fieldwork advice to statistical analysis and writing. I am also very grateful for the advice, support, field-help, and friendship that Michelle Zapp Sluis has offered me. In addition, I would like to thank Melissa Hedges Monk, Kirsten Simonsen, Sara Terrebonne Daigle, and Dr. Matthew Campbell for all of their help, support, advice, and friendship throughout my graduate studies. I would also like to thank Grace Harwell and Elise Roche for spending countless summertime hours covered in fish guts, sampling red snapper with Dannielle and me. I would also like to thank Steve Garner, Kari Klotzbach, Kim DeMutsert and Kristy Lewis for their support, insight, and friendship. iii Finally, I would like to thank my husband, parents, grandparents, and in-laws for all of their love and support throughout my graduate studies. I could not have done this without them. I'm extremely grateful for all of the love, encouragement, and patience that my husband, Josh Saari, has shown me throughout my graduate studies. Josh has also provided me with a tremendous amount of field support, for which I am very grateful. This project was funded by Lousiana SeaGrant, NOAA's Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN), and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. v 3.6 Literature Cited .
Regional differences in Florida red snapper reproduction
2009
Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a valuable commercial and recreational species throughout the southeastern United States and Caribbean. Recent reports of reduction in red snapper stock sizes throughout this range highlight the necessity for a better understanding of the biology of the species. Except for Florida panhandle red snapper, little is known of the reproduction of red snapper off Florida. We collected red snapper from recreational-for-hire boats in two distinct areas of Florida to examine potential regional differences in their reproductive biology. Samples were obtained from the Florida East Coast (EC-St. Augustine to Melbourne, N = 66) from June -November 2004 -2005 and from the Dry Tortugas (DT, N = 81) during May, June, and August 2004-2005. Females from EC were spawning capable and actively spawning from June -October, with peaks in GSI values in July and September. Females from DT were spawning capable and actively spawning in June and August. Males were spawning capable from June -October in EC and in May, June and August in DT. There was a significant relationship between length and batch fecundity for red snapper from EC but not from DT. Relative fecundity estimates were low in DT fish (27 ± 11 eggs/g) relative to 235 ± 56 eggs/g in EC fish but similar to those reported from Alabama. Spawning frequency estimates varied from every 2.2 days in EC to every 4.3 days in DT. The apparent regional differences in reproductive biology among Florida red snapper may require region-specific management plans for this species.
Estimating the Dependence of Spawning Frequency on Size and Age in Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper
Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science, 2015
In 2011, a large multivessel survey was conducted to provide nearly synoptic sampling of Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus throughout their reproductive season in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. A total of 2,487 Red Snapper were caught with a female : male ratio that was approximately 1:1. The ovaries of 1,002 females were histologically examined. Females (n D 391) were found with spawning markers (postovulatory follicles and hydrated oocytes) throughout the study area, but primarily in outer shelf waters. Statistical models were developed to quantify and test the dependence of the proportion of females bearing spawning markers (spawning fraction) on female length and age, time of year, depth, gear type (vertical line or longline), or region (east or west of the Mississippi River). Most of the variance in spawning fraction was explained by the time of year; spawning fractions were generally low in spring, peaked in midsummer, and declined by fall. There was also strong statistical evidence of a positive relationship between spawning fraction and either age or length. The effects of region and gear type were not significant once time of year and size or age were accounted for. These results demonstrate the need to account for differences in the time of year and age structure of the population when the productivity of populations of Red Snapper are compared. For example, productivity has been hypothesized to be greater in the western Gulf than in the eastern Gulf, as evidenced by regional patterns of egg and larval abundance. Our results suggest that this regional difference is not due to any intrinsic difference in the biology of the fish, but simply a consequence of there being more large, old Red Snapper in the western Gulf. Recent stock assessments have indicated that Red Snapper
From 2006 to 2008, larval and juvenile age-0 red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus (Poey 1860), were collected during research surveys conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Mississippi Laboratories. Juvenile fish were sampled from Texas shelf waters, while larvae were collected from throughout the western Gulf of Mexico. Larval fish could only be identified using morphological features down to approximately 4 mm. Individuals below this had to be identified using genetic techniques. Otolith based aging techniques were utilized to determine the ages of 326 individuals, both larval and juvenile. These ages, in conjunction with the date of capture and length data, were used to calculate hatch dates and growth respectively. Abundance at age data were utilized to calculate mortality rates using catch curve analyses. Growth and mortality rates were calculated for each stage (larval and juvenile) separately, due to differences in sampling methodology and habitat utilization....
Gulf and Caribbean Research, 2022
Recent population expansion of Gray Snapper, Lutjanus griseus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico is driving increasing catch in the recreational fishery in Texas. We assessed long—term trends in distribution and abundance of Gray Snapper in Texas using fishery—dependent and fishery—independent data collected by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the years 1980 — 2019. Boosted regression trees (BRT) were used to evaluate factors (water quality, season, depth, bay and inlet distance) driving Gray Snapper presence in fishery—independent samples of juveniles (seines) and subadults (gill nets) found in estuaries. Estuarine Gray Snapper were subsequently sampled from gill nets, and otolith age and gonad development were evaluated microscopically to assess patterns of age, growth, and maturity. Increasing Gray Snapper abundance in Texas was coupled with expansion of the population age structure in comparisons before and after 1993. Gray Snapper juveniles and subadults encountered in T...
Age, Growth, and Reproduction of Vermilion Snapper in the North-Central Gulf of Mexico
Transactions of The American Fisheries Society, 2018
Vermilion Snapper is a commonly harvested species of reef fish in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). It supports both a large commercial and popular recreational fishery, however, knowledge of this fish's life history is limited spatially. Non-linear curve fitting was used to estimate growth parameters and Akaike information criteria (AIC) was used to determine relative model fit. The 2-parameter von Bertalanffy growth function provided the best model fit and lowest AIC score. Histological examination indicated that Vermilion Snapper are batch spawners with asynchronous oocyte development. Additionally, 17% of Vermilion Snapper in the actively spawning phase containing 24 hour POF's suggesting daily spawning is occurring. No immature fish of either sex were collected during this study (139 mm to 535 mm TL). Both histologicallydetermined phases and gonadosomatic index (GSI) patterns defined the spawning season ranged was from April to September. The spawning interval for Vermilion Snapper was estimated using the hydrated oocyte and post-ovulatory follicle methods, was 1.8 and 2.2 days respectively. Batch Fecundity (BF) estimates of 5,497 to 284,468 eggs/batch were determined using fish macroscopically classified as actively spawning (n = 22). Total fecundity (BF by spawning frequency) was estimated to range from 544,203 eggs/spawning season up to 28,162,332 eggs/spawning season. Mean relative batch iii fecundity was 70.7 eggs/g of gonad-free body weight. Estimates from this study can be directly incorporated into population assessments and provide a region-specific overview of life-history for the Vermilion Snapper from the north-central Gulf of Mexico. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my thesis committee, Mark S. Peterson, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson and Robert T. Leaf, who guided me both academically and professionally throughout my tenure here at The University of Southern Mississippi. The majority of this research was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Fund; however, various sources contributed funding in the form of scholarships as well. Specifically, I would like to thank the Division of Coastal Sciences for awarding me the Tom McIlwain Fisheries Endowment, the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute for the Ron Schmied Scholarship, and the MS-AFS student subunit for a student travel award. I am thankful for all of the above financial support I was awarded so that I could travel to scientific conferences, widen my sampling, and make contact with multiple stakeholders throughout the northern GOM. The Center for Fisheries Research and Development staff showed overwhelming support not only for me but for my project as well and helped me develop in my career as a fisheries biologist. I would like to thank Buck Buchanan for being my second reader for otoliths, as well as Alex Fogg and Robert Allman for showing me how to properly section and age Vermilion Snapper otoliths. I would like to also thank Capt. Lenny and Capt. Mike Thierry for allowing me not only to deckhand on their boats but to also meet them at the dock to collect samples. This research could not have happened without the cooperation and support of stakeholders in the recreational sector. My final thanks are to my graduate school companions, for all of their help, support, and comic relief throughout my time as a master's student. This research was conducted under the USM IACUC #16101302. v TABLE OF CONTENTS