Abstract
Coney (Cephalopholis fulva) sampled from recreational and commercial vessels along the southeastern coast of the United States in 1998–2013 (n = 353) were aged by counting opaque bands on sectioned sagittal otoliths. Analysis of otolith edge type (opaque or translucent) revealed that annuli formed in January–June with a peak in April. Coney were aged up to 19 years, and the largest fish measured 430 mm in total length (TL). The weight-length relationship was ln(W) = 3.03 × ln(TL) − 18.05 (n = 487; coefficient of determination [r2] = 0.91), where W = whole weight in kilograms and and TL = total length in millimeters. Mean observed sizes at ages 1, 3, 5, 10, and 19 years were 225, 273, 307, 338, and 400 mm TL, respectively. The von Bertalanffy growth equation for coney was Lt = 377 (1 − e(−0.20(t+3.53))). Natural mortality (M) estimated by Hewitt and Hoenig’s longevity-based method which integrates all ages was 0.22. Age-specific M values, estimated with the method of Charnov and others, were 0.40, 0.30, 0.26, 0.22, and 0.20 for ages 1, 3, 5, 10, and 19, respectively.
Highlights
The coney (Cephalopholis fulva Linnaeus 1758) is a small to medium-sized member of the grouper family (Serranidae) widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic from North Carolina and Bermuda through southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea (Heemstra & Randall, 1993)
Estimated landings of coney from headboats sampled by the Southeast Region Headboat Survey (SRHS), which is administered by the Beaufort Laboratory of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), averaged 205 fish totaling 114 kg annually from 1981–2012 for southeastern United States (SEUS) waters (K Brennan, 2014, unpublished data)
Age determination Coney were sampled from fisheries landings along the SEUS coast (North Carolina through the Florida Keys) from 1998 to 2013 by port agents employed by the SRHS, which samples headboats, and the SEFSC Trip Interview Program (TIP), which samples commercial fisheries landings
Summary
The coney (Cephalopholis fulva Linnaeus 1758) is a small to medium-sized member of the grouper family (Serranidae) widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic from North Carolina and Bermuda through southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea (Heemstra & Randall, 1993). Coney are of minor importance to the commercial and recreational fishing sectors in southeastern United States (SEUS) Atlantic Ocean waters. Estimated landings of coney from headboats (vessels engaged in recreational fishing, usually carrying from 16–100 anglers) sampled by the Southeast Region Headboat Survey (SRHS), which is administered by the Beaufort Laboratory of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), averaged 205 fish totaling 114 kg annually from 1981–2012 for SEUS waters (K Brennan, 2014, unpublished data). Estimated landings from private recreational boats and charter boats, the other component of the recreational sector, averaged 1,473 fish annually during 1982–2011 in the SEUS. The majority of SEUS recreational landings of coney occur in Florida with the Carolinas contributing an average of only 58 fish annually from the headboat and private recreational sectors combined. This study provides information on life history parameters for coney collected from the commercial and recreational fisheries of the SEUS and compares these new parameter estimates to previous life history studies
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