Gulf and Caribbean Research Volume 27 Issue 1 2016 Age, Growth and Natural Mortality of Blackfin Snapper Lutjanus buccanella from the Southeastern United States and U. S. Caribbean Michael L. Burton NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Beaufort Laboratory, [email protected] Jennifer C. Potts NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Beaufort Laboratory, [email protected] Daniel R. Carr Independent Affiliation Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/gcr Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons, and the Marine Biology Commons Recommended Citation Burton, M. L., J. C. Potts and D. R. Carr. 2016. Age, Growth and Natural Mortality of Blackfin Snapper Lutjanus buccanella from the Southeastern United States and U. S. Caribbean. Gulf and Caribbean Research 27 (1): 66-73. Retrieved from https://aquila.usm.edu/gcr/vol27/iss1/10 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18785/gcr.2701.10 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Gulf and Caribbean Research by an authorized editor of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. VOLUME 25 VOLUME GULF AND CARIBBEAN Volume 25 RESEARCH March 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS GULF AND CARIBBEAN SAND BOTTOM MICROALGAL PRODUCTION AND BENTHIC NUTRIENT FLUXES ON THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO NEARSHORE SHELF RESEARCH Jeffrey G. Allison, M. E. Wagner, M. McAllister, A. K. J. Ren, and R. A. Snyder....................................................................................1—8 WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT SPECIES RICHNESS AND DISTRIBUTION ON THE OUTER—SHELF SOUTH TEXAS BANKS? Harriet L. Nash, Sharon J. Furiness, and John W. Tunnell, Jr. ......................................................................................................... 9—18 Volume 27 ASSESSMENT OF SEAGRASS FLORAL COMMUNITY STRUCTURE FROM TWO CARIBBEAN MARINE PROTECTED 2016 AREAS ISSN: 1528—0470 Paul A. X. Bologna and Anthony J. Suleski ............................................................................................................................................. 19—27 SPATIAL AND SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF RED DRUM CAUGHT AND RELEASED IN TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA, AND FAC- TORS ASSOCIATED WITH POST—RELEASE HOOKING MORTALITY Kerry E. Flaherty, Brent L. Winner, Julie L. Vecchio, and Theodore S. Switzer....................................................................................29—41 CHARACTERIZATION OF ICHTHYOPLANKTON IN THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO FROM SEAMAP PLANK- TON SURVEYS, 1982—1999 Joanne Lyczkowski—Shultz, David S. Hanisko, Kenneth J. Sulak, Ma gorzata Konieczna, and Pamela J. Bond ..................................43—98 ł GULF AND CAR Short Communications DEPURATION OF MACONDA (MC—252) OIL FOUND IN HETEROTROPHIC SCLERACTINIAN CORALS (TUBASTREA COCCINEA AND TUBASTREA MICRANTHUS) ON OFFSHORE OIL/GAS PLATFORMS IN THE GULF Steve R. Kolian, Scott Porter, Paul W. Sammarco, and Edwin W. Cake, Jr........................................................................................99—103 EFFECTS OF CLOSURE OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER GULF OUTLET ON SALTWATER INTRUSION AND BOTTOM WATER HYPOXIA IN LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN IBBEAN RESEARCH Michael A. Poirrier .............................................................................................................................................................................105—109 DISTRIBUTION AND LENGTH FREQUENCY OF INVASIVE LIONFISH (PTEROIS SP.) IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO OF MEXICO Alexander Q. Fogg, Eric R. Hoffmayer, William B. Driggers III, Matthew D. Campbell, Gilmore J. Pellegrin, and William Stein ............................................................................................................................................................................................................111—115 NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY OF INVASIVE LIONFISH (PTEROIS SP.) FROM THE NORTHCENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO William Stein III, Nancy J. Brown—Peterson, James S. Franks, and Martin T. O’Connell ...............................................................117—120 RECORD BODY SIZE FOR THE RED LIONFISH, PTEROIS VOLITANS (SCORPAENIFORMES), IN THE SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO Alfonso Aguilar—Perera, Leidy Perera—Chan, and Luis Quijano—Puerto ...........................................................................................121—123 EFFECTS OF BLACK MANGROVE (AVICENNIA GERMINANS) EXPANSION ON SALTMARSH (SPARTINA ALTERNI- FLORA) BENTHIC COMMUNITIES OF THE SOUTH TEXAS COAST Jessica Lunt, Kimberly McGlaun, and Elizabeth M. Robinson..........................................................................................................125—129 TIME—ACTIVITY BUDGETS OF STOPLIGHT PARROTFISH (SCARIDAE: SPARISOMA VIRIDE) IN BELIZE: CLEANING INVITATION AND DIURNAL PATTERNS Wesley A. Dent and Gary R. Gaston .................................................................................................................................................131—135 FIRST RECORD OF A NURSE SHARK, GINGLYMOSTOMA CIRRATUM, WITHIN THE MISSISSIPPI SOUND Jill M. Hendon, Eric R. Hoffmayer, and William B. Driggers III......................................................................................................137—139 REVIEWERS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................141 INSTRUCTION TO AUTHORS ...............................................................................................................................................................142-143 Published by © 2013 The University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast Published by Research Laboratory. MAR Printed in the United States of America ISSN: 1528—0470 CH 2013 703 East Beach Drive All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564 copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or 228.872.4200 • FAX: 228.872.4204 by any means without written permission from the publisher. Ocean Springs, Mississippi www.usm.edu/gcrl Gulf and Caribbean Research Vol 27, 66-73, 2016 Manuscript received, May 11, 2016; accepted, November 22, 2016 DOI: 10.18785/gcr.2701.10 AGE, GROWTH AND NATURAL MORTALITY OF BLACKFIN SNAPPER, LUTJANUS BUCCANELLA, FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES AND U.S. CARIBBEAN. Michael L. Burton1*, Jennifer C. Potts1, and Daniel R. Carr2 1National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, 101 Pivers Island Rd., Beaufort NC 28516—9722; 2 3103 Country Club Rd., Morehead City, NC 28557—3016; Corresponding author, email: [email protected] ABSTRACT: We determined ages of Blackfin Snapper (Lutjanus buccanella Cuvier 1828; n = 622) collected from the southeastern United States coast and U.S. Caribbean from 1979–2015 using sectioned sagittal otoliths. Opaque zones were determined to be annular, forming March – July (peaking in April–June). Blackfin Snapper ranged from 1–27 years and from 180–609 mm total length (TL). Body size relationships for Blackfin Snapper were: TL = 1.09 FL + 0.81 (n = 203, r2 = 0.99); FL = 0.91 TL + 3.38 (n = 203, r2 = 0.99); TL = 1.23 SL + 14.27 (n = 83, r2 = 0.97); FL = 1.14 SL + 10.84 (n = 83, r2 = 0.99); W = 7.79 x 10—9 TL3.09 (n = 216); and W = 9.54 x 10—9 FL3.11 (n = 228). The von Bertalanffy growth —0.20 (t +1.51) equation was: Lt = 549 (1 — e ) (n = 622). Point estimate of natural mortality was M = 0.16, while age—specific estimates of M ranged from 0.65–0.21/y for ages 1–27. This study presents the first findings of life history parameters for Blackfin Snapper from the Atlantic waters off the southeastern United States and U.S. Caribbean. KEYWORDS: Lutjanidae, Life history parameters, Fisheries management, Caribbean reef fish, data—limited species. INTRODUCTION Blackfin Snapper (Lutjanus buccanella Cuvier 1828, Fam- includes a 10 snapper per person per day bag limit (exclud- ily Lutjanidae) are found in the tropical western Atlantic and ing Red Snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, and Vermilion Snap- are capable of attaining weights of up to 14 kg but usually per, Rhomboplites aurorubens) in the recreational fishery. The average < 4 kg (Grimes et al. 1977). The species is found species is managed in the U.S. Caribbean by the Caribbean from North Carolina throughout Bermuda and the Carib- Fishery Management Council’s Reef Fish FMP with annual bean, including the Gulf of Mexico, and as far south as catch limits. The Magnuson—Stevens Fishery Conservation northeast Brazil (Cervigon 1966). Adults typically inhabit and Management Act requires that annual catch limits be set the continental shelf edge or live—bottom areas in depths for all managed species (or species groups) in both the SEUS from 9—219 m. Blackfin Snapper are of minor importance and U.S. Caribbean territories, despite the fact that many of to the southeastern United States (SEUS, North Carolina these species may be data—poor (SERO 2015). Data—limited to Florida Keys, including the Dry Tortugas) reef fish fishery assessment methods currently in use require basic inputs but are more important to anglers in the U.S. Caribbean such as natural mortality or growth parameters which, when (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Estimated recre- combined with catch histories or size distributions, can be ational landings of Blackfin Snapper in the SEUS averaged used to estimate fishery targets or limits. Even this rudimen- 1,006 kg from 1981–2014, while landings from the private/