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Growth of Juvenile Centropomus undecimalis in a Tropical Island

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Abstract

Age, growth rates and hatching dates were determined for juvenile common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, collected in several Puerto Rican estuarine systems. Two growth models (von Bertalanffy and power curve) were used and compared based on the fitting, the residual distribution and homogeneity of variances. A multiple linear regression was also fit to predict age from otolith weight, fish weight and standard length. Hatching dates back-calculated from age estimates, suggested that spawning occurs throughout the year but peaks from May to October. Early juveniles (age < 100 d) recruited during the wet season (August to November) showed a significantly higher growth rate (0.67 mm d−1) than the dry season (December to July) recruits (0.41 mm d−1). These results are compared with snook collected in west Florida.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Hydrobiologie Marine et Continentale, CNRS UMR 5556, Université Montpellier II, CC 093, Place E. Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier cedex 05 -, France

    Catherine Aliaume

  2. Laboratoire Hydrobiologie Marine et Continentale, CNRS UMR 5556, Université Montpellier II, CC 093, Place E. Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier cedex 05 -, France

    Alfonso Zerbi

  3. Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, Universidad Federal do Espirito Santo, 29069-900, Vitoria, ES, Brasil

    Jean-Christophe Joyeux

  4. Department of Zoology, North Carolina State University, Box 7617, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7617, U.S.A.

    John M. Miller

Authors
  1. Catherine Aliaume
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  2. Alfonso Zerbi
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  3. Jean-Christophe Joyeux
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  4. John M. Miller
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Aliaume, C., Zerbi, A., Joyeux, JC. et al. Growth of Juvenile Centropomus undecimalis in a Tropical Island. Environmental Biology of Fishes 59, 299–308 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007662611839

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