Data from: Minimum size limits and the reproductive value of numerous, young, mature female fish
Data files
Nov 03, 2020 version files 229.49 KB
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Adults_used_for_parentage_in_each_period.csv
148.26 KB
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fit.distribution.gamma.R
3.48 KB
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Great_Keppel_Island_Coral_Trout_Abundance_data.csv
49.68 KB
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Lavin_et_al_2020.Rmd
20.55 KB
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Total_parent_offspring_assignments.csv
7.52 KB
Nov 04, 2020 version files 229.49 KB
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Adults_used_for_parentage_in_each_period.csv
148.26 KB
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fit.distribution.gamma.R
3.48 KB
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Great_Keppel_Island_Coral_Trout_Abundance_data.csv
49.68 KB
-
Lavin_et_al_2020.Rmd
20.55 KB
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Total_parent_offspring_assignments.csv
7.52 KB
Feb 09, 2021 version files 229.33 KB
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Adults_used_for_parentage_in_each_period.csv
148.26 KB
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fit.distribution.gamma.R
3.34 KB
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Great_Keppel_Island_Coral_Trout_Abundance_data.csv
49.68 KB
-
Lavin_et_al_2021.Rmd
20.53 KB
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Total_parent_offspring_assignments.csv
7.52 KB
Abstract
Fisheries management relies on various catch and effort controls to preserve spawning stock biomass and maximise sustainable yields while limiting fishery impacts on marine ecosystems. These include species-specific minimum or maximum size limits to protect either small non-reproductive sub-adults, a portion of reproductively mature adults, or large highly fecund individuals. Protecting size classes of mature fish is expected to yield a viable source of larvae for replenishing populations and reduce the risk of recruitment overfishing, yet size-specific recruitment contributions have rarely been assessed empirically. Here we apply genetic parentage analysis to measure the reproductive success of a size-structured population of a commercially important species of coral grouper (Plectropomus maculatus - Serranidae) in no-take marine reserves in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia. Although the per-capita reproductive success of individual fish increases rapidly with body-length, the numerous young mature female fish (NYMFFs), below the minimum size limit (38 cm total length), were responsible for generating disproportionately large contributions (36%) towards larval replenishment of both fished and reserve reefs. Our findings indicate that minimum size limits are an effective harvest control measure to safeguard a portion of the spawning stock biomass for coral grouper and supplement recruitment subsidies assured from no-take marine reserves.
Methods
Methods and results appear in manuscript
Usage notes
Required data of sampled adults and offspring-assigned adults from genetic parentage analysis, as well as abundance data of the target species are provided as .csv files. See attached R file ‘fit.distribution.gamma.R’ in order to execute Gamma distribution fit. The script for all analyses and results is included in the R Markdown file.