Abstract

Mycteroperca bonaci or black grouper is the second most important grouper species in southern Gulf of Mexico, supporting commercial and recreational fisheries. It is considered as near threatened specie by IUCN, its fishery as deteriorated and their population as decreasing thought out their distribution range. Even though it’s economic importance, this study is the first to determine age and growth for the species in the Campeche Bank. During 1996 to 1999, 714 black groupers were captured using long line by the commercial fishing fleet. Otoliths were up through the gills-removed, alcohol cleaned and stored dry. Age determination was based on the assignation of annuli to the number of opaque zones from the otolith core to the otolith margin, in left sagittae thin sections. Individuals ranged in size from 25.6 to 160.0 cm (LF) and in age from 2 to 27 years. Age-10 fish were the most numerous in the sample (n = 99), followed in frequency by age-9 and age-11 (n = 90 each one) and age-12 (n = 81), representing 50.4 % of total specimens. Young fish with age-2 (n = 2) and older fish with age-25 and age-27 (n = 1 each one) were poorly represented. The more frequent year-class was 1987 (n = 107). Edge-type analysis confirmed the formation of a single growth annulus per year, recording the smallest marginal increment values between February and March. The relationship between furcal length and age was described by the von Bertalanffy growth model as: L(t) = 138.40 * (1 – e ( -0.12 * (t – 0.068))).

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