Reproduction in the protogynous black grouper Mexico (Mycteroperca bonaci (Poey)) from the southern Gulf of Mexico
An analysis was made of sexual pattern, spawning season, sizes at sexual maturation, and sex change in black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) from the southern Gulf of Mexico.Samples were taken between 1996 and 2000, from industrial and small-craft commercial fi sheries, in offshore andinshore waters of the continental shelf of the Yucatan Peninsula (Campeche Bank), including the shallow waters ofNational Marine Park Alacranes Reef. For all collected specimens (n=1229), sex and maturation condition weredetermined by histological analysis of the gonads. The offshore sample consisted of 75.1% females, 24.3% males,and 0.6% transitional-stage fish. All individuals collected from inshore waters were females. Gonadal structure and population structure characteristics for Campeche Bank black grouper were consistent with the characteristicsof monandric protogynous hermaphrodism for a serranid fish. Sexually active males and females were observed year-round,although ripening females, with stage-III, -IV, and -V vitellogenic oocytes in the ovaries, dominated in samplestaken between December and March. In addition, peak occurrence of ripe-running females with hyaline oocytesor postovulatory follicles (or both) in the ovaries was recorded in January and February. A few precocious femalesbegan spawning in October and November, and others were still in spawning condition in May and June. Fifty percentmaturity of females was attained at 72.1 cm fork length (FL). Median size at sexual inversion was 103.3 cm FL, and 50% of the females measuring 111.4 cm FL had transformed into males. The southern Gulf of Mexico grouper fisherywas considered deteriorated and lacked a well-defined management strategy. Results of the present study providehelpful information on black grouper reproduction in this area and could help Mexican authorities choose appropriatemanagement strategies for this fishery, such as minimum size limit, closed fishing season, and protection of spawning aggregations.
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | article biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2003
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| Subjects: | Biology, Fisheries, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/30993 |
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