Growth and Reproduction of Southern Flounder (<I>Paralichthys Lethostigma</I>) in the North-Central Gulf of Mexico
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The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Master's Theses Summer 8-2016 Growth and Reproduction of Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) in the North-Central Gulf of Mexico Morgan Marie Corey University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons, and the Marine Biology Commons Recommended Citation Corey, Morgan Marie, "Growth and Reproduction of Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) in the North-Central Gulf of Mexico" (2016). Master's Theses. 196. https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/196 This Masters Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF SOUTHERN FLOUNDER (PARALICHTHYS LETHOSTIGMA) IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO by Morgan Marie Corey A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School and the Department of Coastal Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Approved: ________________________________________________ Dr. Robert T. Leaf, Committee Chair Assistant Professor, Coastal Sciences ________________________________________________ Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, Committee Member Research Scientist, Fisheries Research and Development ________________________________________________ Dr. Mark S. Peterson, Committee Member Professor, Coastal Sciences ________________________________________________ Dr. Karen S. Coats Dean of the Graduate School August 2016 COPYRIGHT BY Morgan Marie Corey 2016 Published by the Graduate School ABSTRACT GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF SOUTHERN FLOUNDER (PARALICHTHYS LETHOSTIGMA) IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO by Morgan Marie Corey August 2016 Southern Flounder Paralichthys lethostigma is the most commonly harvested flatfish in the north-central Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and supports a major inshore recreational fishery, yet knowledge of the species’ life history is greatly limited. The objective of this research was to describe the growth and reproduction of Southern Flounder in the Mississippi stock. Fish were collected during September 2014 to March 2016 using primarily recreational fishing techniques. Otoliths (n = 313) were sectioned to estimate age, and multiple length-at-age models were fit to total length (TL, mm) and age estimate (y) data. Gonadal tissue samples (n = 221) were preserved for histological analysis and used to classify reproductive phases. Length-at-age model fit was evaluated using Akaike information criteria, revealing that the three-parameter von Bertalanffy -1 growth function best described the female-specific data (L∞ = 509 mm, k = 0.70 y , t0 = - 0.46 y). By fitting a logistic model to binomial maturity data, the mean length-at-50% maturity was estimated as 303 mm TL and mean age-at-50% maturity was estimated as one year for females. Histological indicators and gonadosomatic index (GSI) data were used to estimate that the spawning season lasts from November to January, and to classify Southern Flounder as batch spawners. These results will inform future stock assessments and management decisions for the GOM Flounder fishery. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Funding for this thesis research was provided by the Mississippi Tidelands Trust Fund Program, administered by the Department of Marine Resources, and awarded to S. D. Clardy and R. T. Leaf. I am thankful for the financial support to attend professional meetings from The University of Southern Mississippi American Fisheries Society student subunit and the Mississippi Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. I would like to thank my advisor, Robert T. Leaf, and committee members, Nancy J. Brown- Peterson and Mark S. Peterson, for their immense contribution to the development of my thesis. The University of Southern Mississippi Marine Education Center and the Center for Fisheries Research and Development staff provided constant support with field sampling and community outreach for the project. Specifically, I thank Samuel D. Clardy for coordinating sampling trips and Gary Gray for his technical expertise in otolith-based aging methods. This research would not have been possible without the many individuals who assisted me in collecting fish for the project, including charter boat captains and countless recreational anglers. Thanks to the Project INSPIRE student interns for volunteering their time to assist with laboratory sample processing. Finally, thank you to my labmates, Dave, Cody, Grant, and Taylor, for your source of knowledge and humor. iii DEDICATION To my support system in family and friends, a heartfelt thank you for your unconditional encouragement throughout my graduate career. Thank you to my parents Doris and David, and Austin, for supporting me in moving to the Mississippi coast. Your long-distance love and support means more than I can express. Thanks to my fellow graduate students at the Gulf Coast Research Lab for making me laugh and keeping me motivated. In particular, Page and Nour, thank you for giving me a home. I will always be grateful to the Ocean Springs community for making my time here memorable. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................... viii CHAPTER I – BACKGROUND ........................................................................................ 1 References ....................................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER II – AGE AND GROWTH DYNAMICS OF SOUTHERN FLOUNDER ..... 7 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 7 Methods........................................................................................................................... 9 Results ........................................................................................................................... 14 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 17 References ..................................................................................................................... 23 Appendices .................................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER III – REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF SOUTHERN FLOUNDER ........... 46 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 46 Methods......................................................................................................................... 48 Results ........................................................................................................................... 53 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 57 v References ..................................................................................................................... 63 Appendices .................................................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER IV – CONCLUSION ..................................................................................... 93 References ..................................................................................................................... 97 APPENDIX A – Histology Processing ........................................................................... 100 APPENDIX B – IACUC Approval Letter ...................................................................... 102 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Monthly sample size summary table ................................................................... 30 Table 2 Summary statistics for age estimation ................................................................. 31 Table 3 Multiple linear regression candidate models ....................................................... 32 Table 4 Linear regression model statistics ........................................................................ 33 Table 5 Length-at-age model parameters ......................................................................... 34 Table 6 Past research length at age parameter estimates .................................................. 35 Table 7 Female reproductive phase terminology .............................................................. 69 Table 8 Male reproductive phase terminology ................................................................. 70 Table 9 Past research maturity estimates .......................................................................... 71 Table 10 Monthly reproductive phase summary for females ..........................................