Distinct Stocks of the Redtail Scad Decapterus kurroides Bleeker, 1855 (Perciformes: Carangidae) from the Northern Sulu and Southern Sibuyan Seas, Philippines Revealed from Otolith Morphometry and Shape Analysis

Abstract

A recent study was performed to assess the morphometric variation of otoliths of the Decapterus kurroides collected in the northern Sulu and southern Sibuyan seas in delineating fish stocks. Seven of the otolith morphometric descriptors (otolith length, OL; otolith height, OH; otolith weight OW; otolith area, OA; otolith perimeter, OP; ellipticity, EL; and aspect ratio, AR) demonstrated a significant positive correlation with fish length and six (rectangularity, RE; squareness, SQ; roundness, RO; circularity, CI; compactness, CO; and form factor, FF) demonstrated a significant negative correlation. In terms of intraspecific comparisons, almost all the otolith morphometric descriptors were significantly different between the two sites (except RE and OH). Further, principal component (PC) analysis showed that direct otolith morphometric descriptors such as OL, OH, OW, OA, and OP explained 61.71% of the differences (PC1). In contrast, derived otolith descriptors such as EL, AR, and CO explained 22.00% of the variations (PC2) for a total of 83.71% explained variations with the eight otolith morphometric descriptors. Statistics reveal that D. kurroides from the Sibuyan Sea have significantly larger, heavier, and more elliptical otoliths than those from the Sulu Sea. Results suggested that the D. kurroides from Sulu and Sibuyan seas are two different phenotypic stocks. Further studies such as otolith microchemistry, genetics, other life history-based studies, and present exploitation levels should be carried out to supplement the results of this study to fully establish the D. kurroides stock structures within Philippine waters.

Some indicators for assessing the stock of redtail scad (Decapterus kurroidesBleeker, 1855) in Palabuhanratu Waters, West Java, Indonesia

“…The length range of the redtail scad was 14.7-45.0 cm TL. The largest scad from this study is larger than those from the Lingayen Gulf (25.5 cm) [15], Visayan Sea (28.5 cm), Davao Gulf (24.5 cm) [16], Samar Sea (29.5 cm) [17], Sulu (15.8 cm to 25.7 cm), Sibuyan Sea (16.2 cm to 21.3 cm), [18], and Iligan Bay, Southern Philippines (9.20 cm to 44.50 cmTL) [19]. This size gap may be caused by differences in ecological factors and spatial shifts in fishing pressure [20].…”

Discrimination of Schizothorax grahami (Regan, 1904) Stocks Based on Otolith Morphology

“…Munoz-Lechuga found some differences in the otoliths of Euthynnus in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, based on R language analyses of otoliths [43]. What is more, it has been shown that Decapterus kurroides is not the same stock from the Northern Sulu and Southern Sibuyan Seas [44], based on R language analyses of otoliths. All of the above studies have shown that otoliths (R language method) work well for stock discrimination, and that the same population in the same waters may consist of more than one stock.…”