ANATOMICAL TRAUMA TO SPONGE-CORAL REEF FISHES 

 CAPTURED BY TRAWLING AND ANGLING 



S. Gordon Rogers, 1 Hiram T. Langston, 2 and 

 Timothy E. Targett 3 



ABSTRACT 



External signs of trauma were examined in 15 sponge-coral reef fish species captured while trawling 

 and angling at 37 m depth. Internal evidence of trauma was noted for all species and quantified for a 

 sample of angling-caught black sea bass, Centropristis striata. Distinct differences were noted in the 

 types and frequencies of trauma experienced among species, and between gear types within species. 

 Black sea bass; red snappers, Lutjanus campechanus; short bigeyes, Pristigenys alta; and Mycteroperea 

 groupers exhibited high frequencies of oral protrusions. Planehead filefish, Monacanthus hispidus; orange 

 filefish, Aleuterus schoepfi; and blue angelfish, Holacanthus bermudensis, were particularly prone to cloacal 

 protrusions. External signs of trauma were few in vermilion snappers, Rhomboplites aurorubens; porgies 

 (Stemotomus chrysops, Calamus leucosteus, and Pagrus pagrus); tomtates, Haemulon aurolineatum; and 

 two trawl-caught serranids (Centropristis ocyurus and Diplectrum formosum). Angling produced oral 

 protrusions in black sea bass more frequently than trawling. Trawl-caught red snappers had a higher 

 stomach eversion frequency when brought to the surface more quickly. Angling-caught black sea bass 

 experienced high frequencies of tissue emphysema and swim-bladder rupture. These results should be 

 considered in studies of feeding biology, released-fish survivorship, and fishery management. 



Anatomical trauma experienced by fishes during 

 capture is interesting from several standpoints. Mor- 

 tality of individuals caused by stress, tissue damage, 

 organ displacement, and resulting aberrant behavior 

 has been recognized primarily for its effects on the 

 survival of released fish in mark-and-recapture 

 studies (Ricker 1949; Parker et al. 1959, 1963; Got- 

 shall 1964; Beamish 1966; Moe 1966; Laird and Stott 

 1978; Pawson and Lockwood 1980; Fable 1980; 

 Grimes et al. 1983). Mortality of fishes released by 

 fishermen is an important consideration for stock 

 assessment and management (Black 1958; Pawson 

 and Lockwood 1980; Matheson and Huntsman 

 1984). Recent management plans for the U.S. Gulf 

 and South Atlantic snapper-grouper fisheries 

 (GOMFMC 1981; SAFMC 1983a, b) recommended 

 implementation of minimum sizes for several 

 species. The sizes in the South Atlantic were deter- 

 mined from yield-per-recruit (YPR) models incor- 

 porating assumed survival rates for undersized, 



^kidaway Institute of Oceanography, University System of 

 Georgia, POB 13687, Savannah, GA 31416; present address: 

 Coastal Resources Division, Georgia Department of Natural 

 Resources, 1200 Glynn Avenue, Brunswick, GA 31523. 



2 Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, University System of 

 Georgia, POB 13687, Savannah, GA 31416. 



3 Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, University System of 

 Georgia, POB 13687, Savannah, GA 31416; present address: 

 University of Delaware, College of Marine Studies, Lewes, DE 

 19958. 



released fishes (SAFMC 1983a). Size regulations 

 were predicted on survivorship of ^60%. Gulf YPR 

 models did not incorporate survival rates, effectively 

 assuming 100% survival. 



Other workers have indicated difficulty in obtain- 

 ing specimens of snapper-grouper species for quan- 

 titative analyses of feeding biology from depths 

 which caused stomach eversion and loss of gut con- 

 tents (Stearns 1884; Adams and Kendall 1891; 

 Camber 1955; Mosely 1966; Moe 1969; Bradley and 

 Bryan 1975; Link 1980; Ross 1982). This is of par- 

 ticular concern for studies comparing food habits 

 across depth zones (Moseley 1966). Differences be- 

 tween fish species captured by identical gear at 

 similar depths and differences within species be- 

 tween gear types introduce additional variation. 

 This study addresses the types and frequencies of 

 anatomical trauma experienced by sponge-coral reef 

 fishes captured by angling and trawling at a single 

 depth. These data are discussed in relation to trophic 

 studies, future studies of trauma during capture, 

 survival following release, and management of 

 snapper-grouper fisheries. 



METHODS 



Fishes were caught by angling and trawling at a 

 low-relief (<1 m) sponge-coral reef 37 m deep on the 

 continental shelf 84 km east of Sapelo Island, GA 



Manuscript accepted January 1986. 

 FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 84, NO. 3, 1986. 



697 



