tures ofE. affinis is its extremely large size, par- 

 ticularly its weight of 13.15 kg, as this specimen 

 represents the heaviest E. affinis documented. 

 The previous documented record of maximum size 

 for E. affinis was 11.79 kg based upon a specimen 

 captured in Merimbula, NSW, Australia in 1980 

 (Anonymous 1986). 



It is interesting that the maximum size records 

 established for the black skipjack, E. lineatus, 

 and the yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares , are 

 based upon sport-caught specimens from the Re- 

 villagigedo group of islands. The fact that many 

 species tend to be longer lived and reach maxi- 

 mum sizes in the northern latitudinal ranges of 

 their distributions, apparently pertains to the 

 aforementioned species of tunas, as well. In the 

 case of this record specimen of E. affinis, al- 

 though found outside its normal geographical dis- 

 tribution, the maximum size was attained in this 

 same region of the Pacific Ocean. 



Acknowledgments 



I thank William H. Bayliff, Bruce B. Collette, 

 and Witold L. Klawe for their reviews of this note. 



Literature Cited 



Anonymous. 



1986. World record game fishes. Int. Game Fish Assoc. 

 FlTfH, J. E. 



1953. Extensions to known geographical distributions of 

 some marine fishes on the Pacific coast. Calif. Fish 

 Game .39:.539-5.52. 

 GiBBS, R. H., JR , AND B. B. Collette. 



1967. Comparative anatomy and systematics of the tunas, 

 genus Thunnus. Fish. Bull., U.S. 66:6.5-130. 

 G0D.SIL, H. C. 



1954a. A descriptive study of certain tuna-like 



fi.shes. Calif Dep. Fish Game, Fish Bull. 97, 185 p. 

 1954b. A comparison of Japanese and Hawaiian 

 specimens of the black skipjack, Euthynnus yaita . Calif 

 Fish Game 40:411-413. 

 GoD.siL. H. C, AND R. D. Byers. 



1944. A systematic study of the Pacific tunas Calif 

 Dep. Fish Game, Fish Bull. 60, 131 p. 

 Yo.siiiDA, H. O. 



1979. Synopsis of biological data on tunas of the genus 

 Euthynnus. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Rep. 

 NMFS Circ. 429, 57 p. 



Kurt M. Schaefer 



Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission 

 CO Scripps Institution of Oceanography 

 La JoUa, CA 92093 



CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIFE HISTORY AND 



REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF GAG, 



MYCTEROPERCA MICROLEPIS (SERRANIDAE), 



IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC BIGHT^ 



The gag, Myceteroperca microlepis, is a demersal 

 serranid found along the southeastern coast of the 

 United States and in the Gulf of Mexico (Smith 

 1971; Fischer 1978). Throughout its range the 

 gag is of both commercial and recreational impor- 

 tance. Because of its relatively slow growth rate 

 (Manooch and Haimovici 1978) and desirability, 

 overfishing is of wide concern. 



The gag is a protogynous hermaphrodite, and 

 McErlean and Smith (1964) suggested that sex- 

 ual transformation occurs during the 10th or 11th 

 year. Spawning occurs from January to March off 

 the west coast of Florida (McErlean 1963), and 

 the maximum reported age is 13 years in both the 

 Gulf of Mexico (McErlean 1963) and the South 

 Atlantic Bight (SAB) (Manooch and Haimovici 

 1978). Microscopic examination of the gonads is 

 necessary for definite sexual identification, but 

 gonad morphology has not been specifically de- 

 scribed. The purpose of this study is to provide 

 new information on the age, growth, and repro- 

 ductive biology of this important species, includ- 

 ing a description of the morphology of gag ovaries 

 and testes. 



Methods 



Most samples were obtained from the commer- 

 cial hook and line fishery, and others were col- 

 lected on research cruises aboard the RV Dol- 

 phin , RV Oregon , and RV Lady Lisa from 1976 to 

 1982. Specimens were measured (total and stand- 

 ard lengths), weighed, and sagittae removed from 

 the otic capsule through the branchial chamber. 

 Otoliths were stored dry and later viewed in a 

 dish of cedar wood oil with reflected light over a 

 dark background using a binocular microscope. 

 Since opaque bands in larger otoliths were thin 

 and often too crowded near the edge to permit 

 accurate counting, cross sections (approximately 

 0.5 mm thick) were made on the dorsoventral 

 plane of the otoliths through the center with a 

 diamond dicing wheel mounted on an ISOMET' 

 low speed saw. Sectioned otoliths were viewed in 



'Contribution No. 226 of the South Carolina Marine Re- 

 sources Center, South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources 

 Department, Charle.ston, SC 29412. 



'■^Reference to trade names does not imply endorsement by the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA. 



648 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL 8.5, NO 3, 1987. 



