Red Snapper Reproductive Biology in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Sex ratio, size at maturity, reproductive periodicity, ovarian development pattern, and spawning ground data for red snapper Lutjanus campechanus from the southern Gulf of Mexico were analyzed to understand this species' reproductive biology throughout its geographical distribution. Red snapper were sampled in 1999 and 2000 from commercial fishery catches taken on Campeche Bank at depths ranging from 43 to 130 m. Overall sex ratio (male : female) and sex ratios by size-class did not differ significantly from a 1:1 ratio. First maturity was at a slightly smaller size in males (24.2 cm total length [TL]) than in females (28.3 cm TL), and maximum length percentages at first maturity were 28% for males and 34% for females. The length at which maturity was attained in 50% of females (L50) was 31.4 cm TL. The Campeche Bank red snapper stock had a protracted spawning period from February to November, with a spawning peak occurring in early fall. Vitellogenic oocytes were continually recruited from previtellogenic oocytes during the entire spawning season, with no gap between each oocyte development stage. This means that red snapper ovaries are asynchronous and that the species can be considered a heterochronal (batch) spawner with indeterminate annual fecundity. Females in spawning condition were collected from both the northeastern and northwestern areas of Campeche Bank, near submerged or emergent coral reef structures, and at depths between 48 and 117 m. These results generally agreed with those for red snapper stocks in others regions of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern United States. However, reproductive periodicity in the Campeche Bank red snapper stock apparently displayed more of an insular pattern of extended spawning in comparison with the typical continental pattern of restricted spawning reported for other regions. The latitudinal differences observed in red snapper spawning seasons could also reflect a latitudinal gradient in the intensity of seasonal environmental constraints.

Growth stanzas in an Epinephelidae-Lutjanidae complex: considerations to length-weight relationships

“…Differences between sexes (for adults only) could also be appreciated even though we did not perform a direct comparison between adults: L. synagris, L. campechanus and O. chrysurus adult-females were bigger and heavier than adult-males. Trejo-Martínez (2011) andSámano-Zapata (2010) reported that in all three Snapper species males reach sexual maturity earlier and at smaller sizes than females. Mean gonadosomatic index was even bigger in males (3.30±0.23-0.50±0.03%) of Ocyurus chrysurus than in females (2.30±0.13-0.50±0.03%) suggesting that there is an important deviation of surplus energy canalized to reproduction in males.…”

Assessing reproductive resilience: an example with South Atlantic red snapper Lutjanus campechanus

“…Red snapper support important commercial and recreational fisheries in Dashed curves show how a given resilience level can be met through tradeoffs between spatial and temporal diversity. (B) Potential relationships with age of reproductive traits impacting reproductive success: spawning stock biomass (SSB; a proxy for abundance), annual fecundity (blue), spawning duration as a proxy for the distribution of spawning events within a spawning season (black), and the maternal effects on egg and larval quality (red) the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern USA, with both the Gulf and South Atlantic (SA) stocks exhibiting highly truncated age distributions (Cowan 2011 (Collins et al 1996, Woods et al 2003, BrownPeterson et al 2009, Brulé et al 2010.…”

Spawning Aggregation of Beardfish, Polymixia lowei, in a Deep-water Sinkhole off the Florida Keys

“…The proposed reproductive terminology appears to be applicable to all fishes, from primitive to more evolved, regardless of reproductive strategy or gender. Indeed, this terminology has recently been used to describe the reproductive cycle of an elasmobranch (thornback ray: Serra-Pereira et al 2011), a freshwater teleost (threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus: Brown-Peterson and Heins 2009), and several marine teleosts (e.g., silver perch Bairdiella chrysoura: Grammer et al 2009; spotted seatrout: Lowerre- red snapper: Brown-Peterson et al 2009 andBrulé et al 2010;beardfish Polymixia lowei: Baumberger et al 2010). It is our strong hope that researchers studying fish reproduction will adopt this terminology for the purpose of improving communication among those in fish-related disciplines.…”