Comparison of age and growth parameters of invasive red lionfish (Pterois volitans) across the northern Gulf of Mexico

Invasive red lionfish (Pterois volitans) have spread rapidly throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) partly because of their high growth rate. Red lionfish were collected from the northern GOM across 3 ecological regions from 2012 through 2015. For male and female red lionfish, relationships be...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inFishery bulletin (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 117; no. 3; pp. 125 - 15
Main Authors Fogg, Alexander Q, Evans, Joseph T, Peterson, Mark S, Brown-Peterson, Nancy J, Hoffmayer, Eric R, Ingram, G. Walter, Jr
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington National Marine Fisheries Service 01.07.2019
Superintendent of Documents
Subjects
Comparative analysis
Detection
Distribution
Ecosystems
Females
Fish
Growth
Growth rate
Introduced animals
Invasive species
Life history
Males
Marine fishes
Mitigation
Otoliths
Pterois volitans
Red lionfish
Regions
Weight
Gulf of Mexico
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Invasive red lionfish (Pterois volitans) have spread rapidly throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) partly because of their high growth rate. Red lionfish were collected from the northern GOM across 3 ecological regions from 2012 through 2015. For male and female red lionfish, relationships between weight and total length (TL) were different by ecological region. Males achieved a greater mean weight adjusted for TL (333.6 g [standard error (SE) 3.6]) than females (195.1 g [SE 3.7]). A subsample of 1607 pairs of sagittal otoliths (from 744 males, 716 females, and 147 fish of unknown or undetermined sex) was used to assign ages. Ages ranged from 0.0 to 4.5 years (mean: 1.4 years), and these estimated ages and the dates of capture for specimens confirm the presence of red lionfish in the northern GOM in 2008, 2 years prior to the first detection of this species there. There were differences in age and growth between sexes within and among ecological regions, with males achieving higher growth rates and larger asymptotic lengths than females (all comparisons: P<0.01). These findings, coupled with other life history information, aid in discerning differences in distribution of red lionfish populations and are essential for creating management plans for mitigation of their effects on ecosystems.
ISSN:0090-0656
1937-4518
DOI:10.7755/FB.117.3.1