Growth and maturation of three commercially important coral reef species from American Samoa
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE Fisheries
Growth and maturation of three commercially important coral reef species from American Samoa Cassandra Pardee1 · Brett M. Taylor2 · Sean Felise3 · Domingo Ochavillo3 · Javier Cuetos‑Bueno4 Received: 20 February 2020 / Accepted: 4 October 2020 © Japanese Society of Fisheries Science 2020
Abstract This study presents age-based life history information on three small-bodied species targeted in the American Samoan fishery: Chlorurus japanensis palecheek parrotfish/fuga-alosama, Lethrinus rubrioperculatus spotcheek emperor/fiola pa`o`omumu, and Naso lituratus orangespine unicornfish/ili`ilia. Age and reproductive information were derived from sagittal otoliths and gonads. Maximum observed ages were 7 years for C. japanensis, 10 years for L. rubrioperculatus, and 25 years for N. lituratus. Due to a limited numbers of immature samples, a proxy for size at 50% maturity (L50) was derived from the relationship between asymptotic fork length (L∞) and L50 based on data published for species from similar geographic regions and respective families. L50 was estimated at 20.9 cm for C. japanensis, 20.4 cm for L. rubrioperculatus, and 17.5 cm for N. lituratus. Derived estimates were within 1 % of the L50 calculated for C. japanensis and N. lituratus from the limited number of immature samples collected in this study, indicating that for regions where sampling ability is limited, derived relationships between L∞ and L50 can be used to calculate an appropriate proxy. Naso lituratus demonstrated a biphasic mortality schedule with a higher than expected total mortality rate in the first 7 years of life. The age-based demographic information presented here can be used for future stock assessments and ecosystem models, which should facilitate improved management. Keywords American Samoa · Growth · Life history · Maturity
Introduction Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-020-01471-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Cassandra Pardee [email protected] Brett M. Taylor [email protected] Sean Felise [email protected] Domingo Ochavillo [email protected] Javier Cuetos‑Bueno j.cuetos‑[email protected] 1
Poseidon Fisheries Research, 62 Laumaewa Loop, Kihei, Kaneohe, HI 96753, USA
2
Pacific Otolith Services, Honolulu, HI, USA
3
Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, Pago Pago, AS, USA
4
The Nature Conservancy Micronesia Program, Koror, Palau
Fish are an integral part of Samoan culture (faʻasamoa), and are utilized in both ceremonies and cultural exchanges. The cultural importance of fish in American Samoa drives much of the fishing effort (Craig et al. 1993; Carroll et al. 2012; Severance et al. 2013). Fish are also a critical source of dietary protein within Pacific communities (Bell et al. 2009; Barnett 2011). The nearshore fishery in American Samoa consists of nearly 300 species of fish from over 40 families with varying growth and maturation strategies (Pacific Islands F
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