ABSTRACT
Ages of yellowfin grouper (n = 306) from the southeastern United States coast from 1979-2014 were determined using sectioned sagittal otoliths. Opaque zones were annular, forming January-June (peaking in February-March). Yellowfin grouper ranged in age from 3 to 31 years; the largest fish measured 1,000 mm fork length (FL). Body size relationships for yellowfin grouper were: W = 1.22 × 10(-5) FL(3.03) (n = 229, r (2) = 0.92); TL = 1.06 FL - 14.53 (n = 60, r (2) = 0.99); and FL = 0.93 TL + 18.63 (n = 60, r (2) = 0.99), where W = whole weight in grams, FL in mm, and TL = total length in mm. The von Bertalanffy growth equation was: Lt = 958 (1 - e(-0.11(t+2.94))) (n = 306). The point estimate of natural mortality for yellowfin grouper was M = 0.14, while age-specific estimates of M ranged from 1.59 to 0.17 for ages 1-31.
ABSTRACT
Coney (Cephalopholis fulva) sampled from recreational and commercial vessels along the southeastern coast of the United States in 1998-2013 (n = 353) were aged by counting opaque bands on sectioned sagittal otoliths. Analysis of otolith edge type (opaque or translucent) revealed that annuli formed in January-June with a peak in April. Coney were aged up to 19 years, and the largest fish measured 430 mm in total length (TL). The weight-length relationship was ln(W) = 3.03 × ln(TL) - 18.05 (n = 487; coefficient of determination [r (2)] = 0.91), where W = whole weight in kilograms and and TL = total length in millimeters. Mean observed sizes at ages 1, 3, 5, 10, and 19 years were 225, 273, 307, 338, and 400 mm TL, respectively. The von Bertalanffy growth equation for coney was Lt = 377 (1 - e ((-0.20(t+3.53)))). Natural mortality (M) estimated by Hewitt and Hoenig's longevity-based method which integrates all ages was 0.22. Age-specific M values, estimated with the method of Charnov and others, were 0.40, 0.30, 0.26, 0.22, and 0.20 for ages 1, 3, 5, 10, and 19, respectively.