REPRODUCTION, MOVEMENTS, AND POPULATION DYNAMICS OF 



THE BANDED DRUM, LAR1MUS FASCIATUS, IN 



THE GULF OF MEXICO 1 2 



Gary W. Standard 3 and Mark E. Chittenden, Jr. 4 



ABSTRACT 



Collections of banded drum, Larimus fasciatus, were made from 5 to 100 m in the Gulf of Mexico along a 

 cross-shelf transect off Texas during the period October 1977- August 1981. Larimus fasciatus mature at 

 80-130 mm as they approach age I. Spawning occurs during two discrete periods, a major fall period 

 (September- November) and a very minor spring period (April-June), coincident with downcoast along- 

 shore currents (toward Mexico) and onshore surface Ekman transport. Fish first spawning at 12-14 

 months old produce the predominant fall-spawned groups. Fall-spawned fish spawning at 19-21 months 

 old produce the minor spring-spawned groups, so that temporal reproductive isolation does not exist 

 between spring and fall cohorts. Larimus fasciatus in the northwestern Gulf range from <5 to 55 m but 

 are most abundant at 5-16 m. Adults occupy the 13-24 m bathymetric range, while the young recruit in 

 waters of <5-16 m when 2-4 months old. Larger, older, spawning or postspawning individuals may 

 undergo more or less permanent emigration from the northwestern Gulf to the north central area as 

 they approach age I. Apparent mean sizes of fall-spawned fish were 130-150 mm at age I and 155-180 

 mm at or approaching age II. Von Bertalanffy parameters for fall-spawned fish were 201 and 176 mm for 

 L x and 1.15 and 1.34 for K (annual), respectively. Maximum size is about 180 mm in the northwestern 

 Gulf, but more typically only 160-165 mm. Typical maximum life span Ul ) in the northwestern Gulf is 

 only 1-2 years but may be 2-3 years if the the stock ranges in both the northwestern and north central 

 Gulf. Apparent mean time-specific and cohort-specific total annual mortality rates are 92-100% in the 

 northwestern Gulf but true values probably are 80-90% for a stock that ranges in both the northwest- 

 ern and north central Gulf. Fecundity, weight, girth, and length relationships are presented. 



The banded drum, Larimus fasciatus, is a common 

 demersal fish that ranges along the Altantic coast 

 of the United States from Chesapeake Bay to 

 southern Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) 

 from the west coast of Florida to Campeche Bay 

 (Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928; Hildebrand 

 1954; Briggs 1958). It primarily occurs in near- 

 shore marine waters (Hildebrand and Cable 1934; 

 Powles 1980) and only occasionally enters the 

 lower reaches of estuaries (Gunter 1938; Swingle 

 1971; Dahlberg 1972). In the northern Gulf this 

 species is most abundant off Louisiana (Gunter 

 1945; Behre 1950; Hildebrand 1954). 



The life history of L. fasciatus is poorly known 

 despite its common occurrence. No detailed study 

 describes its life history in the Gulf, although Ross 



'Based on a thesis submitted by the senior author in partial 

 fulfillment for the M.S. degree, Texas A&M University. 



^Technical Article TA 18596 from the Texas Agricultural Ex- 

 perimental Station. College Station, Tex. 



:i Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. Texas A&M 

 University, College Station. Tex.; present address: Texas Parks 

 and Wildlife Department, Route 2, Box 537, Brownsville, TX 

 78520. 



4 Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M 

 University. College Station, TX 77843; present address; Virginia 

 Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA 23062. 



Manuscript accepted October 1983. 

 FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 82, NO. 2, 1984. 



( 1978 ) did so for North Carolina. Life history notes 

 appear in Hildebrand and Cable ( 1934), Miller and 

 Jorgenson (1969), Christmas and Waller (1973), 

 Chao and Musick (1977), Johnson (1978), and 

 Powles (1980). 



This paper describes maturation, spawning 

 periodicity, bathymetric distribution, recruit- 

 ment, movements, age determination and growth 

 using length frequencies, maximum size, life 

 span, mortality, sex ratios, fecundity, and length- 

 weight, length-girth, and standard-total length 

 relationships of L. fasciatus in the northwestern 

 Gulf. 



METHODS 



Larimus fasciatus were collected in 71 monthly 

 or twice monthly cruises from October 1977 

 through August 1981 along a transect in the Gulf 

 off Freeport, Tex., (Fig. 1) aboard a chartered 

 shrimp trawler using twin 10.4 m (34-ft) trawls 

 with a 4.4 cm stretched mesh cod end and a tickler 

 chain. Initial stations usually were located at 

 depths of 9, 13, 16, 18, 22, 27, 36, and 47 m. Sam- 

 pling was expanded to include stations at 5 and 24 



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