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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Seasonality, sex ratio, spawning frequency and sexual maturity of the opakapaka Pristipomoides filamentosus (Perciformes: Lutjanidae) from the Main Hawaiian Islands: fundamental input to size-at-retention regulations

Meagan A. Luers A B C , Edward E. DeMartini B and Robert L. Humphreys Jr B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1000 Pope Road, Marine Sciences Building 312, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.

B National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818, USA.

C Corresponding author. Email: meagan.luers@gmail.com

Marine and Freshwater Research 69(2) 325-335 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF17195
Submitted: 30 January 2017  Accepted: 18 August 2017   Published: 17 October 2017

Abstract

The crimson jobfish Pristipomoides filamentosus (locally known as ‘opakapaka’ in Hawaii) is a deep-water eteline lutjanid that supports important commercial and recreational fisheries in Hawaii and throughout much of the Indo-Pacific region. It is one of the most commonly caught species of the ‘Deep-7’ bottomfish species complex in the commercial bottomfish fishery of Hawaii. However, there are currently no validated estimates of median body sizes at sexual maturity that can be used in a comprehensive evaluation of the species’ stock status within Hawaiian bottomfish fisheries. Herein we provide size-at-maturity estimates for the species in the main Hawaiian Islands: median length at maturity of 40.7-cm fork length (FL; 95% confidence interval (CI) 40.3–41.2 cm) for females and 34.3 cm FL (95% CI 33.3–35.3 cm) for males, with respective equivalent median weight-at-maturity estimates of ~1.17 and ~0.70 kg (2.58 and 1.55 lb). We suggest these newly available data be seriously considered in any future evaluations of minimum size regulations, currently set at ~0.45 kg (1 lb) regardless of sex, for the species’ fisheries in Hawaii.

Additional keywords: eteline snapper, histology, life history, reproductive maturity, size at maturity.


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