|
|
Article: Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) demographic structure in the northern Gulf of Mexico based on spatial patterns in growth rates and morphometrics.
- Article from:
- Fishery Bulletin
- Article date:
- October 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 National Marine Fisheries Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Abstract--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 ...