26 



Abstract— We examined 536 permit 

 {Tiachinotus fatcatus. 65-916 mm FL) 

 collected from the waters of Florida 

 Keys and from the Tampa Bay area on 

 Florida's Gulf coast to describe their 

 growth and reproduction. Among permit 

 that we sexed, females ranged from 

 266 to 916 mm in length (mean=617) 

 and males ranged from 274 to 855 

 mm (mean=601). Ages of 297 permit 

 ranging from 102 to 900 mm FL were 

 estimated from thin-sectioned otoliths 

 (sagittae). The large proportion of oto- 

 liths with an annulus on the margin 

 and an otolith from an OTC-injected 

 fish suggested that a single annulus was 

 formed each year during late spring or 

 early summer Permit reach a maximum 

 age of at least 23 years. Permit gi-ew rap- 

 idly until an age of about five years, and 

 then growth slowed considerably. Male 

 and female von Bertalanffy growth 

 models were not significantly differ- 

 ent, and the sexes-combined growth 

 model was FL=753.1(l-e-" ■'■•»' •^«>'"^s'^' I. 

 Gonad development was seasonal, and 

 spawning occurred during late spring 

 and summer over artificial and natural 

 reefs at depths of 10-30 m. Ovaries that 

 contained oocytes in the final stages of 

 oocyte maturation or postovulatory fol- 

 licles were found during May-July. We 

 estimated that SO'J'r of the females in the 

 population had reached sexual maturity 

 by 547 mm and an age of 3.1 years and 

 that 50% of the males in the population 

 had reached sexual maturity by 486 mm 

 and an age of 2.3 years. Because Florida 

 regulations restrict the maximum size of 

 permit caught in recreational and com- 

 mercial fisheries to 20-inch (508-mml, 

 most fish harvested are sexually imma- 

 ture. With the current size selectivity 

 of the fishery, the spawning stock bio- 

 mass of permit could decrease quickly 

 in response to moderate levels of fish- 

 ing mortality; thus, the regulations in 

 place in Florida to restrict harvest levels 

 appear to be justified. 



Age, growth, and reproduction of permit 

 (Trachinotus falcatus) in Florida waters 



Roy E. Crabtree 

 Peter B. Hood 

 Derke Snodgrass 



Florida Marine Research Institute 



Florida Fish and Wildlife Consen/ation Commission 



100 Eighth Avenue SE 



St Petersburg, Florida 33701 5095 



Present address (for R, E Crabtree) Division of Marine Fisheries 



Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 



620 Meridian St 



Tallahassee, Florida 32399 1600 



E mail address (for R E Crabtree) crabtrno'gfc stale fl us 



Manuscript accepted 19 July 2001. 

 Fish. Bull. 100:26-34 (2002). 



The family Carangidae supports a di- 

 verse array of economically important 

 fi.sheries in tropical and subtropical 

 waters worldwide. In the southeastern 

 United States, many carangid stocks 

 are managed at both the state and Fed- 

 eral level. Recently, the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service determined that the 

 Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack stock 

 is overfished, but the status of most 

 carangid stocks is unknown (Anony- 

 mous'). For most carangid stocks, no 

 quantitative stock assessments have 

 been completed, in part, because little 

 biological information exists regarding 

 carangid growth rates and reproduc- 

 tion. As a result, the adequacy of cur- 

 rent management measures to prevent 

 overfishing of many carangid stocks is 

 unclear. 



Permit, Trachinotus falcatus, are the 

 basis of an important recreational fish- 

 ery and a small commercial fishery in 

 Florida. Estimates of Florida recreation- 

 al landings are unreliable but may ex- 

 ceed 100,000 fish per year (Armstrong 

 et al.'-). Commercial landings of permit 

 peaked in 1991 at 200,000 pounds and 

 then decreased to 50,000 pounds in 

 1995 (Aj-mstrong et al.-). Current reg- 

 ulations in Florida include a 10-inch 

 (254-mm FL) minimum size limit and 

 a 20-inch (508-mm FL) maximum size 

 limit on both the recreational and com- 

 mercial harvest. In addition, recreation- 

 al anglers are permitted daily to take 

 10 permit per bag of combined permit 

 and Florida pompano {Trachinotus car- 



olinus). Many anglers pursuing permit 

 do so with professional guides on a char- 

 ter vessel. In addition to being popular 

 in South Florida, permit are targeted 

 by numerous fishing tourists and recre- 

 ational anglers in the Bahamas and at 

 locations throughout the Caribbean. De- 

 spite the economic importance of permit 

 in these regions, there are no published 

 reports describing gi-owth, longevity, or 

 length and age at sexual maturity. Such 

 information is needed to evaluate the ef- 

 fects of fishing mortality on permit pop- 

 ulations. Previous studies of permit life 

 history by Fields (1962) and Finucane 

 ( 1969) were based only on an examina- 

 tion of larvae and young-of-the year per- 

 mit. Our study describes growth, lon- 

 gevity, and the length and age at which 

 fish become sexually mature. In addi- 

 tion, we document spawning of permit 

 in South Florida waters based upon a 

 histological examination of ovaries and 

 seasonal patterns in the abundance of 

 juveniles. 



' Anonymous. 2001. Report to Congress: 

 status of fisheries of the United States, 

 122 p. National Marine Fisheries Sei-vice, 

 1315 East-west Highway, Silver Spring, 

 MD, 20910. 



- Armstrong, M. P., P. B, Hood, M. D. Murphy, 

 and R. G. Mullen 1996. A stock assess- 

 ment of permit, Tracltinotiix falcatus. in 

 Florida waters. Unpubl. rep. to the Flor- 

 ida Marine Fisheries Commission. Flor- 

 ida Marine Research Institute, 100 Eighth 

 Avenue SE, St. Petersburg. Florida 33701- 

 5095. 



