Rethinking the Status of Albula spp. Biology in the Caribbean and Western Atlantic

Acoustic Telemetry Studies of Bonefish (Albula vulpes) Movement Around Andros Island, Bahamas: Implications for Species Management

“…For example, studies have revealed variation in growth rates for A. vulpes among Florida, the Western Atlantic, and the Caribbean (Crabtree et al 1996, Adams et al 2008). Compared to the rest of the Caribbean and Western Atlantic, Florida bonefish appear to be growing faster and reach larger sizes (Ault et al 2007).…”

“…Compared to the rest of the Caribbean and Western Atlantic, Florida bonefish appear to be growing faster and reach larger sizes (Ault et al 2007). An 8 year-old bonefish in Florida measures, on average, 609 mm (FL) (Crabtree et al 1997) whereas in the Caribbean, it measures 406 mm (FL) (Adams et al 2008). These regional variations in growth provide an example of why it is an over-simplification to make generalizations about the population dynamics of bonefish throughout their range.…”

“…Of the three species in the Caribbean, published information has primarily been on A. vulpes and covers age, growth and mortality (Crabtree et al 1996, Adams et al 2008); maturation and reproduction (Crabtree et al 1997); habitat use (Adams et al 2008); diet (Colton & Alevizon 1983a, Crabtree et al 1998; movement (Colton & Alevizon 1983b, Humston et al 2005; larval duration and temporal abundance patterns (Mojica et al 1995, Dahlgren et al 2008; or a combination of these (Bruger 1974. However, most of these studies were conducted before the identification of Albula sp.…”

“…A triangle (12 mm x 12 mm x 12 mm) was cut from the soft ray tissue at the rear of the dorsal fin. Purified genomic DNA from collected tissue samples of tagged bonefish was isolated using the Puregene ® isolation kit (Qiagen, Inc., Valencia, California) following methods described in Adams et al (2008). Collaborators from the University of Minnesota have developed a bonefish specific microsatellite library through a slightly modified protocol described by Seyoum et al (2008) and PCR-based isolation of the microsatellite arrays was carried out as described in Lunt et al (1999 …”

“…Despite its popularity and economic importance as a primarily catchand-release fishery, there still remain significant gaps in our understanding of bonefish reproductive ecology. And with up to ten species worldwide (Colborn et al 2001, Pfeiler 2008, and possible intra-specific differences in life history patterns among regions (Adams et al 2008), much additional research is needed.…”