Abstract
Ages of schoolmaster (n = 136) from the southeastern Florida coast from 1981–2015 were determined using sectioned sagittal otoliths. Opaque zones were annular, forming March–July (peaking in May–June). Schoolmaster ranged in age from 1–42 years; the largest fish measured 505 mm total length (TL) and was 19 years old. The oldest fish measured 440 mm TL. Estimated body size relationships for schoolmaster were: W = 9.26 × 10−6 TL3.11 (n = 256, r2 = 0.95); W = 2.13 × 10−5 FL2.99 (n = 161, r2 = 0.95); TL = 1.03 FL + 10.36 (n = 143, r2 = 0.99); and FL = 0.96 TL − 8.41 (n = 143, r2 = 0.99), where W = whole weight in g, FL = fork length in mm, and TL in mm. The fitted von Bertalanffy growth equation was: Lt = 482 (1 − e−0.12(t+2.79)) (n = 136). Based on published life history relationships, a point estimate of natural mortality for schoolmaster was M = 0.10, while age-specific estimates of M ranged from 1.57–0.18 for ages 1–42.
Highlights
The schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus Walbaum 1792), a medium-sized member of the family Lutjanidae, is distributed in the western Atlantic Ocean from Bermuda to Brazil (Mateo et al, 2010), including the Caribbean Sea and southeast Florida, including the Florida Keys
We studied schoolmaster because little is known of their life history in SEUS waters
All specimens used in this study were killed as part of legal fishing operations and were already dead when sampled by the port agents, all research was conducted in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and with the US Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training (USGP) OSTP CFR, May 20, 1985, Vol 50, No 97
Summary
The schoolmaster (Lutjanus apodus Walbaum 1792), a medium-sized member of the family Lutjanidae, is distributed in the western Atlantic Ocean from Bermuda to Brazil (Mateo et al, 2010), including the Caribbean Sea and southeast Florida, including the Florida Keys. Schoolmaster are among the most abundant lutjanids found in the waters of the Cuban shelf (Claro & Parenti, 2001). The species is found in the eastern tropical Atlantic from Cote d’Ivoire to Equatorial Guinea (Lloris & Rucabado, 1990). The majority of juveniles settle out into seagrass beds or mangrove habitats. Adults are typically found in shallow clear waters over rocky or coral reef areas up to 60 m in depth. Schoolmaster feed mainly on fishes, shrimp, crabs, gastropods and cephalopods (Allen, 1985; Rooker, 1995) and are known to form resting aggregations during the day
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