Abstract

Lionfish have invaded the Western Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico at an unprecedented rate, with documented negative effects on native ecosystems. Scientific investigations on the impacts of lionfish have been conducted predomi-nantly in tropical ecosystems with comparatively little research effort focused on temperate ecosystems, such as the South Atlantic Bight. Since life history parameters, especially growth rates, can vary with a suite of environmental (i.e. tempera-ture), biological (i.e. genetic) and ecological (i.e. prey availability) factors, life history parameters of lionfish will likely vary regionally and among ecosystems. To quantify age and growth in a new region, lionfish were collected in 2013 and 2014 from northeast Florida (n=3,949) in coordination with multiple derby events throughout the year. Size structure was analyzed using length frequency analysis and statistical length based modeling. Length-frequency analysis revealed a clear bimodal population with two distinct cohorts, and rapid growth during summer. The best model fit 2013 and 2014 data sets independently, indicating annual differences in growth in that region (K=0.63, L?= 435mm in 2013; K=0.47, L?= 448mm in 2014). Overall, these results suggest lionfish in northeastern Florida have an abridged spawning season, with juveniles recruiting over a smaller timescale than in other regions, and little variation in growth rates, which has not been reported previously. Since accurate life history modeling inputs are integral to estimating necessary removal efforts, future popula-tion growth and the response of lionfish populations to management initiatives, information on lionfish life history should be collected at a finer spatial and temporal scale.

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