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Radiocarbon (Δ14C) was analyzed in northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) otolith cores (n = 23), otolith edge samples (n = 12), and whole age-0 otoliths (n = 9), with edge samples and whole age-0 otoliths constituting known-age samples. There was no significant difference in the linear relationship of Δ14C versus year of formation between regional corals and known-age otolith samples, and a linear regression fit to the combined data from 1980 to 2015 extends the utility of the bomb radiocarbon chronometer for age validation. The entire regional coral and known-age otolith data set (1940 to 2015) was then utilized as a reference series to validate otolith-derived red snapper age estimates for cored otolith samples. A loess regression was fit to the reference data and then the sum of squared residuals (SSR) was computed from predicted versus observed birth years for cored adult otolith samples. This process was then repeated for ages biased ±1–4 years. Ages with no bias applied had the lowest SSR, thus validating red snapper age estimates and demonstrating the utility of the combined regional coral and known-age red snapper otolith Δ14C time series for age validation of nGOM marine fishes.

Warsaw grouper, Hyporthodus nigritus, is a western Atlantic Ocean species typically found at depths between 55 and 525 m. It is listed as a species of concern by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service and as near threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. However, little information exists on the species' life history in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) and its stock status in that region is currently unknown. Age of nGOM Warsaw grouper was investigated via opaque zone counts in otolith thin sections (max age = 61 y), and then the bomb 14 C chronometer was employed to validate the accuracy of age estimates. Otolith cores (n = 14) were analyzed with accelerator mass spectrometry and resulting Δ 14 C values overlain on a loess regression computed for a regional coral and known-age red snapper Δ 14 C time series. Residual analysis between predicted Δ 14 C values from the loess regression versus Warsaw grouper otolith core Δ 14 C values indicated no significant difference in the two data series. Therefore, the accuracy of otolith-based aging was validated, which enabled growth and longevity estimates to be made for nGOM Warsaw grouper. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) Δ 14 C values collected from the nGOM support the inference that juvenile Warsaw grouper occur in shelf waters (<200 m) since DIC Δ 14 C values in this depth range are enriched in 14 C and similar to the Δ 14 C values from otolith cores. A Bayesian model was fit to fishery-dependent age composition data and produced von Bertalanffy growth function parameters of L 1 = 1,533 mm, k = 0.14 y-1 , and t 0 = 1.82 y. Fishing mortality also was estimated in the model, which resulted in a ratio of fishing to natural mortality of 5.1:1. Overall, study results indicate Warsaw grouper is a long-lived species that is estimated to have experienced significant overfishing in the nGOM, with the age of most landed fish being <10 y.