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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 59(9)

Age, growth, and mortality of wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri, from the Atlantic coast of Florida and the Bahamas

Richard S. McBride A , Adam K. Richardson A and Kristin L. Maki A B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 100 8th Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.

B Present address: PBS&J, 5300 W. Cypress, Tampa, FL 33607, USA.

C Corresponding author. Email: klmaki@pbsj.com

Marine and Freshwater Research 59(9) 799-807 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF08021
Submitted: 30 January 2008  Accepted: 29 June 2008   Published: 7 October 2008

Abstract

Wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri, constitute an economically important fishery for many coastal nations, but assessment of this living marine resource is hampered by a lack of basic life history information. The present study demonstrates that wahoo in the western North Atlantic Ocean are short lived, grow rapidly in their first year, achieve a very large size, and have high mortality rates. The largest individuals were female and the sex ratio was significantly female-biased (298 females: 223 males: 54 unknown sex). An edge analysis showed that annuli formed primarily during winter–spring, which supported the use of sectioned otoliths for ageing wahoo. Wahoo lived a median of 1.3 years, a mean of 1.8 years, and a maximum of 9.3 years (n = 469). They had a high instantaneous mortality rate (Z = 0.98), and they grew rapidly and to a large size; von Bertalanffy growth parameters were: L∞ = 1701 mm fork length (FL), K = 0.381, to = –1.63. Females had a very similar maximum age relative to males (maximum age 9.3 v. age 9.1 years), and they had a slightly, but not significantly, lower mortality (Z = 0.91 v. 1.1) than males. Females grew slightly, although not significantly, larger than males (L∞ = 1797 v. 1555 mm FL, maximum observed = 1804 v. 1585 mm FL). Presumably the piscivorous nature of wahoo feeding, as noted by others, fuels these fast growth rates. Comparative data are very limited but it appears that the survival rate of wahoo in the western Atlantic Ocean is not different now than in the 1960s.

Additional keywords: age, mortality, sexual dimorphism, von Bertalanffy growth.


Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the many anglers who donated their fish and to the organisers of the following fishing tournaments for arranging access to fish: the Bahamas Wahoo Championship; the Boldwater Dolphin/Wahoo Slamathons; the Cal Dixon Celebrity Offshore Fishing Classic; the Coconuts on the Beach Wahoo and Dolphin Shootout; the Ed Dwyer Other Side Invitational; the Fin’s Fall Offshore Classic; the Fishin’ Cove Offshore Shootout; the Fishin’ Store Slams; the Fishstock Tournament; the Florida Sport Fishing Association’s Offshore Slam; the Fort Pierce Open; the Halifax Sportfishing Club Offshore Challenge; the H.O.T. Circuit Tournament Series; the Indian River County Sheriff’s Blue Water Tournament; the Palm Beach County KDW Classic; the Sebastian Inlet Blue Water Open & Spring Fling; and the Treasure Coast Builders Association Tournaments. Valuable supplemental samples were provided by the many samplers of the FWC Fisheries-Dependent Monitoring program, particularly J. Digennaro, K. Kowal, D. McGowan, and E. Sander. D. Adams (FWC), J. Baldwin (Florida Atlantic University (FAU)), G. Haddle (NOAA Fisheries), and T. Theisen (FAU) provided even more samples, and carcasses were obtained with the helpful assistance of Lott Bros., Fishing Headquarters, Finest Kind Marina, Sailfish Marina, M. Legakis, and the local fishing community. J. Tunnell (FWC) assisted with reading otoliths. This research was funded by a MARFIN Award (# NA17FF2882) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA Department of Commerce. The statements, finding, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the Department of Commerce.


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