Individual growth rates and movement of juvenile white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) in a tidal marsh nursery

We measured growth and movements of individually marked free-ranging juvenile white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) in tidal creek subsystems of the Duplin River, Sapelo Island, Georgia. Over a period of two years, 15,974 juvenile shrimp (40−80 mm TL) were marked internally with uniquely coded microwire tags and released in the shallow upper reaches of four salt marsh tidal creeks. Subsequent samples were taken every 3−6 days from channel segments arranged at 200-m intervals along transects extending from the upper to lower reach of each tidal creek. These collections included 201,384 juvenile shrimp, of which 184 were marked recaptures. Recaptured shrimp were at large an average of 3−4 weeks (range: 2−99 days) and were recovered a mean distance of <0.4 km from where they were initially marked. Mean residence times in the creek subsystems ranged from 15.2 to 25.5 days and were estimated from exponential decay functions describing the proportions of marked individuals recaptured with increasing days at large. Residence time was not significantly correlated with creek length (Pearson=−0.316, P=0.684 ), but there was suggestive evidence of positive associations with either intertidal (Pearson r=0.867, P=0.133) or subtidal (Pearson r=0.946, P=0.054) drainage area. Daily mean specific growth rates averaged 0.009 to 0.013 among creeks; mean absolute growth rates ranged from 0.56−0.84 mm/d, and were lower than those previously reported for juvenile penaeids in estuaries of the southeastern United States. Mean individual growth rates were not significantly different between years (t-test, P>0.30) but varied significantly during the season, tending to be greater in July than November. Growth rates were size-dependent, and temporal changes in size distributions rather than temporal variation in physical environmental factors may have accounted for seasonal differences in growth. Growth rates differed between creeks in 1999 (t-test, P<0.015), but not in 1998 (t-test, P>0.5). We suggest that spatial variation in landscape structure associated with access to intertidal resources may have accounted for this apparent interannual difference in growth response.

Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) demographic structure in the northern Gulf of Mexico based on spatial patterns in growth rates and morphometrics

Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) in the United States waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been considered a single unit stock since management of the species began in 1991. The validity of this assumption is essential to management decisions because measures of growth can differ for nonmixing populations. We examined growth rates, size-at-age, and length and weight information of red snapper collected from the recreational harvests of Alabama (n=2010), Louisiana (n=1905), and Texas (n =1277) from 1999 to 2001. Ages were obtained from 5035 otolith sections and ranged from one to 45 years. Fork length, total weight, and age-frequency distributions differed significantly among all states; Texas, however, had a much higher proportion of smaller, younger fish. All red snapper showed rapid growth until about age 10 years, after which growth slowed considerably. Von Bertalanffy growth models of both mean fork length and mean total weight-at-age predicted significantly smaller fish at age from Texas, whereas no differences were found between Alabama and Louisiana models. Texas red snapper were also shown to differ significantly from both Alabama and Louisiana red snapper in regressions of mean weight at age. Demographic variation in growth rates may indicate the existence of separate management units of red snapper in the GOM. Our data indicate that the red snapper inhabiting the waters off Texas are reaching smaller maximum sizes at a faster rate and have a consistently smaller total weight at age than those collected from Louisiana and Alabama waters. Whether these differences are environmentally induced or are the result of genetic divergence remains to be determined, but they should be considered for future management regulations.

Survival rates of rays discarded by the bottom trawl squid fishery off the Falkland Islands

Waters off the Falkland Islands are subject to a specialized multispecies ray fishery and were first fished by a Korean fleet in 1989. More than twenty different rajid species have been recorded from catches around the islands, and five species accounted for 87.04% of the total catch during 1993−2002. Catches peaked in 1993 at 8523 metric tons, and specific fishing licenses — R (second season) and F (first season) — were first introduced in 1994 and in 1995, respectively (Agnew et al. 2000; Falkland Islands Government, 2002; Wakeford et al., in press).

The effect of timing of tagging on streamer-tag recapture rates for American lobster (Homarus americanus)

Streamer tags are commonly used to study the ecology and population biology of the American lobster (Homarus americanus). Aquarium observations suggest that streamer tag loss, either through tag-induced mortality or tag shedding, is related to the molt stage of the lobster at the time of tagging, and the molting event itself. Tag-induced mortality, where lobsters did not molt, occurred within eleven and sixteen days following tagging for lobsters tagged in postmolt (4%) and late premolt (10%) stages, respectively; whereas no lobsters tagged in early premolt or intermolt stages died. Taginduced mortality at time of molting was observed for lobsters tagged in late premolt stage (11%), and tag shedding was observed for lobsters tagged both in early (25%) and late premolt (11%) stages, but was significantly higher (P=0.014) for lobsters tagged in early premolt stages. Autopsies revealed that lobsters died mainly of organ perforations (hepato-pancreas and pericardial sac) following the tagging process, and rupture of the dorsal thoraco-abdominal membrane during the molting process. The total tag loss was estimated at 4% for lobsters tagged after molting, and 27% and 31% for lobsters tagged in early and late premolt stages, respectively. There was no tag loss for lobsters tagged in the intermolt stage during four months of laboratory observations (July−October). To minimize streamer tag loss, lobsters should be tagged during the intermolt or postmolt stage. Based on field studies, recapture rates for lobsters tagged in premolt stage are always lower than those of lobsters tagged in postmolt stage. Furthermore, recapture rates during the second year, for lobsters that molt in the year following tagging, were drastically reduced, and no lobster was recaptured after four years at large. Finally, to account for tag loss during the first year at large, a minimal adjustment of 24.9% (SD 2.9%) and 4.4% (SD 1.6%) for the recapture rate of lobsters tagged immediately before and after the molting season, respectively, is recommended. Adjustments beyond one year at large are not recommended for the American lobster at this time.

A new growth model for red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) that accommodates seasonal and ontogenic changes in growth rates

The red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) is a popular gamefish found throughout the coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and along the eastern seaboard as far north as Massachusetts. Juvenile red drum grow extremely rapidly, especially during the warmer months, but adults grow very little. In fact, the change in growth with age is so abrupt that the standard von Bertalanffy curve has proven inadequate— the predicted lengths of younger fish are generally too large and the predicted lengths of older fish too small (see Beckman et al., 1988; Murphy and Taylor, 1990).

Food habits and consumption rates of common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the eastern Pacific Ocean

An ecosystem approach to fisheries management requires an understanding of the impact of predatory fishes on the underlying prey resources. Defining trophic connections and measuring rates of food consumption by apex predators lays the groundwork for gaining insight into the role of predators and commercial fisheries in influencing food web structure and ecosystem dynamics.We analyzed the stomach contents of 545 common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) sampled from 74 sets of tuna purse-seine vessels fishing in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) over a 22-month period. Stomach fullness of these dolphinfish and digestion state of the prey indicated that diel feeding periodicity varied by area and may be related to the digestibility and energy content of the prey. Common dolphinfish in the EPO appear to feed at night, as well as during the daytime. We analyzed prey importance by weight, numbers, and frequency of occurrence for five regions of the EPO. Prey importance varied by area. Flyingfishes, epipelagic cephalopods, tetraodontiform fishes, several mesopelagic fishes, Auxis spp., and gempylid fishes predominated in the diet. Ratios of prey length to predator length ranged from 0.014 to 0.720. Consumption-rate estimates averaged 5.6% of body weight per day. Stratified by sex, area, and length class, daily rations ranged up to 9.6% for large males and up to 19.8% for small dolphinfish in the east area (0–15°N, 111°W–coastline). Because common dolphinfish exert substantial predation pressure on several important prey groups, we concluded that their feeding ecology provides important clues to the pelagic food web and ecosystem structure in the EPO.

Mortality rates of the Poovalan prawn (Metapenaeus dobsoni) along the southwest coast of India with a note on the dynamics of its population

The annual instantaneous total mortality coefficient (Z) for the prawn Metapenaeus dobsoni has been estimated to range from 0.8 to 5.14 by the cumulative catch curve method. Different methods used in the study resulted in wide ranging values of natural mortality (M) (0.6 to 2.303), but the yield per recruit model when superimposed with the absolute yield values revealed the right order to be > 2. The biologically optimum yield of about 18 thousand tons is obtained for an effort of 2,702 trawlers per day for 215 fishing days when the annual exploitation ratio (E) is about 52%.