Rivera-Hernández, Jesús M.

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    Queen triggerfish Balistes vetula reproductive biology in US Caribbean waters
    (2018-05) Rivera-Hernández, Jesús M.; Appeldoorn, Richard S.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Shervette, Virginia R.; García-Sais, Jorge R.; Otero-Morales, Ernesto; Department of Marine Sciences; Esteves Amador, Rene
    Effective fisheries management requires a detailed understanding of the life history strategies of managed species. Queen Triggerfish Balistes vetula supports productive fisheries in the western Atlantic, including in the U.S. Caribbean. We utilized a combination of fisheriesdependent and –independent samples to assess the size structure, sex ratio, size-at-maturity, spawning season, and spawning frequency for a Queen Triggerfish population in the U.S. Caribbean. From 2013-2018, 1148 samples were collected ranging in size from 67-434 mm fork length (FL). Results from this study provide important life history information for an exploited population and this study is the first to describe Queen Triggerfish reproductive biology in detail for the Caribbean. We documented that Queen Triggerfish is a sexually dimorphic species characterized by a medium size-at-maturity. The smallest sexually mature male and female were 184 and 215 mm FL. Puerto Rico and St. Croix, USVI, male 50% size-at-sexual maturity (L50) were similar (206 and 211 mm FL, respectively) and were significantly smaller compared to female L50 (Puerto Rico: 256 mm FL; St. Croix: 245 mm FL). We also documented that Queen Triggerfish, a nesting benthic spawner, exhibits group-synchronous oogenesis and indeterminate fecundity over the spawning season that starts as early as the week after the full moon in December and extends until August. Spawning interval, defined as the number of days between spawning events in a female, ranged from 54-55 days indicating that a female could spawn up to five times over the estimated 241-267 days spawning season. As regulations in the Caribbean on grouper and snapper species increase, Queen Triggerfish will experience increasing fishing pressure. Managers should continue to evaluate potential impacts of this pressure and establish management regulations that take into consideration the region-specific reproductive season and size-at-maturity.