Age, growth, and natural mortality of yellowfin grouper (Mycteroperca venenosa) from the southeastern United States

Ages of yellowfin grouper (n = 306) from the southeastern United States coast from 1979–2014 were determined using sectioned sagittal otoliths. Opaque zones were annular, forming January–June (peaking in February–March). Yellowfin grouper ranged in age from 3 to 31 years; the largest fish measured 1,000 mm fork length (FL). Body size relationships for yellowfin grouper were: W = 1.22 × 10(−5) FL(3.03) (n = 229, r(2) = 0.92); TL = 1.06 FL − 14.53 (n = 60, r(2) = 0.99); and FL = 0.93 TL + 18.63 (n = 60, r(2) = 0.99), where W = whole weight in grams, FL in mm, and TL = total length in mm. The von Bertalanffy growth equation was: L(t) = 958 (1 − e(−0.11(t+2.94))) (n = 306). The point estimate of natural mortality for yellowfin grouper was M = 0.14, while age-specific estimates of M ranged from 1.59 to 0.17 for ages 1–31.