Appendix I – FMRI Metadata File
Documenting the Current Investigation and Project Report

Identification Information

Citation:
Citation Information:
Originator: FWC-FMRI (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)
Title: FA_FB_Seabasses
Description:
Abstract:
Three serranid species (Pronotogrammus martinicensis, Hemanthias vivanus, and Serranus phoebe) and one damselfish (Chromis enchrysurus) were collected during cruises to outer-continental shelf reefs of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Age was estimated for all serranid species using whole otoliths, and C. enchrysurus ages were determined from transverse sections of sagittal otoliths. Ring structure observed on otoliths was validated as having an annual periodicity for P. martinicensis using marginal increment analysis, while ring structure on remaining species was assumed to correspond to age (years). Pronotogrammus martinicensis, H. vivanus, S. phoebe, and C. enchrysurus exhibited maximum age classes of age-IX, age-VIII, age-V, and age-XI, respectively. Spatial variations in size-at-age were observed in P. martinicensis populations. Individuals inhabiting reefs in the Madison Swanson region exhibited the fastest growth rates, while the slowest growing P. martinicensis were collected from the Alabama Alps. Pronotogrammus martinicensis and H. vivanus are both protogynous hermaphrodites. Evidence of active spawning was observed in the months from February through July and March and May for P. martinicensis and H. vivanus, respectively. Serranus phoebe was observed to be a simultaneous hermaphroditic capable of spawning year-round. Batch fecundity estimates for P. martinicensis ranged from 149-394 oocytes per fish.
Size selectivity was evident in our primary sampling method, hook and line. Smaller size-classes of all species examined were under-represented in our samples, hindering accurate growth modeling. Due to the protogynous nature of P. martinicensis and H. vivanus, hook and line sampling also tended to select for males. Future descriptions of the reproductive biology of both protogynous species would be more complete using less selective sampling methods.
The data presented here contribute to a better assessment of the fish community of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Little information on age and reproduction was previously available for the serranid and pomacentrid species examined here, but these species are important links between both planktonic or benthic food resources and the economically-valuable groupers, snappers, and amberjacks. If a catastrophic event occurred in these offshore, continental-shelf habitats then the loss of these forage species could be immediately detrimental to regional fish production via the food chain, particularly with regard to resident commercial and recreational fish species. A return to a stable or dynamically stable community would require at least a decade, possibly longer if the abiotic structure of the community was significantly altered.
Purpose:
Project: To develop information on age, growth, maturity schedules, spawning seasonality, size- and age-specific maturity and fecundity of roughtongue bass, red barbier, and tattler in northeastern Gulf of Mexico outer-continental shelf reefs.
Database: To provide a queriable, structured repository for project data.
Supplemental Information:
This study was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey, Outer Continental Shelf Ecosystem Studies Program, through a cooperative agreement with the Florida Marine Research Institute (Award #01ERAG0017).
As of July 1, 2004, the Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) will be known as the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI). The institute name will not been changed in historical data sets or references to work completed by the Florida Marine Research Institute. The institute name will be changed in references to ongoing research, new research, and contact information.
Time Period of Content:
Time Period Information:
Range of Dates/Times:
Beginning Date: 4/1/2001
Beginning Time: 08:00:00
Ending Date: 8/1/2004
Ending Time: 17:00:00
Currentness Reference: Project Dates
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency: As needed
Spatial Domain:
Description of Geographic Extent:
Several sites in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Active collections offshore of the Florida panhandle; some archived material from offshore of Alabama. Some SCUBA-diver or ROV collections from offshore of the Florida Keys and North Carolina.

Keywords:
Theme:
Theme Keyword Thesaurus: FWRItheme
Theme Keyword: age
Theme Keyword: biology
Theme Keyword: growth
Theme Keyword: otolith
Theme Keyword: reef fish (grouper, grunts, snappers, porgies, butterfly fish, barracuda, parrotfish, damsels, blennies, angels, 'aquarium fish')
Theme Keyword: reproduction
Taxonomy:
Access Constraints: All data must be verified by Principle Investigator or Group Database Analyst prior to release.
Use Constraints: All data must be credited to FWC-Florida Wildlife Research Institute and the USGS Outer Continental Shelf Ecosystem Studies Program.
Point of Contact:
Contact Information:
Contact Person Primary:
Contact Person: Richard McBride
Contact Organization: FWC-FMRI (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)
Contact Position: Fisheries Biologist
Contact Address:
Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address:
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute 100 Eighth Avenue Southeast
City: Saint Petersburg
State or Province: FL
Postal Code: 33701
Country: USA
Contact Voice Telephone: (727) 896-8626
Contact Electronic Mail Address: richard.mcbride@fwc.state.fl.us
Data Set Credit: Paul E. Thurman, Richard S. McBride, G. Dennis, K. Sulak
Native Data Set Environment: Microsoft Access 2000

Data Quality Information

Logical Consistency Report: Data in Access database are proofed for agreement with hard copy field data sheets. No further efforts have been made to verify the logical consistency of these data.
Completeness Report: Some project activities which effect the completeness of the data set continue; therefore, the data set is not complete.
Lineage:
Methodology:
Methodology Type: Field
Methodology Description:
Three species of Serranidae were targeted for life history characterization. Small Hook and line (Sabiki) sampling was the primary gear for sampling these plantkivorous/benthic feeing fishes in depths of 60-80 m. Sampling was largely from surface ships, on extended (multi-day) cruises at different times of the year. Extensive bottom trawling collections produced some small juveniles, and extensive trapping was completed but this failed to produce the fishes we were targeting (small seabasses). Some ROV suction sampling (w/ rotenone) was attempted, which produced limited numbers of valuable small stages. Finally some SCUBA dives were made to collect fish in the Florida Keys, some of which were used for a M.S. Thesis physiological experiment at USF. Fish were worked up directly on the cruises, or they were frozen or fixed in 10% formalin. Dissection included removal of both sagittae, Lengths (SL, FL, and TL in mm) and weight (to the nearest 10th of a gram in the lab) were recorded. Gonads were removed and the sex determined then weighed to the nearest 100th of a gram (in the lab). A sample from fixed gonads were removed and stored in 70% ETOH until an histology slide could be prepared. Otoliths were stored until they could be aged. Ages were estimated from sectioned material or surface reads.

Entity and Attribute Information

Detailed Description:
Entity Type:
Entity Type Label: P. martinicensis
Entity Type Definition: Contains information concerning the life history of roughtongue bass, Pronotogrammus martinicensis.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Age
Attribute Definition: Number of completely formed rings observed on whole sagittal otoliths.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Atresia
Attribute Definition: Whether any signs of atresia are present (1) or not (0) in the gonad
Attribute:
Attribute Label: EOW
Attribute Definition: Weight of the whole right otolith in grams.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: FL
Attribute Definition: Fork length in millimeters.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: GonW
Attribute Definition: Total weight of the gonad.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: LOW
Attribute Definition: Total weight of the whole left otolith.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Margin
Attribute Definition: Describes whether an annuli is locate on the edge (1) or not (0) of the sagittal otolith.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Oocytes
Attribute Definition: Describes whether any signs of oocytes are visible (1) or not (0) in transitional and male gonads.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: POF
Attribute Definition: Describes whether post-ovulatory follicles are visible in the gonad (1) or not (0).
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Sample
Attribute Definition: Describes the number used to identify a particular fish.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Sex
Attribute Definition: Describes the sex of a fish as male (m), female (f), or transitional (t).
Attribute:
Attribute Label: SL
Attribute Definition: Describes the standard length of a particular fish.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Species
Attribute Definition: Describes the species of fish as P.martinicensis.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Stage
Attribute Definition: Describes the most-advanced stage of development observed in female gonads.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Station
Attribute Definition: Describes the USGS station where the fish was collected from.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: TW
Attribute Definition: Describes the total weight of a particular P. Martincensis.
Detailed Description:
Entity Type:
Entity Type Label: P.martinicensis-fecundity
Attribute:
Attribute Label: .
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Count1
Attribute Definition: Number of oocytes counted in the left lobe of the gonad.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Count2
Attribute Definition: Number of oocytes counted in the whole left gonad.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Count3
Attribute Definition: Number of oocytes counted in the whole left gonad.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: GW-total
Attribute Definition: Whole gonad weight in grams.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Lobe-avg
Attribute Definition: Average of count1, count2, and count3 which represents the average number of oocytes in the whole left gonad.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Lobe-wt
Attribute Definition: Total weight of the whole left gonad.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Sample
Attribute Definition: Sample number which is used to identify a single fish.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Species
Attribute Definition: Species which corresponds to the Sample number.
Detailed Description:
Entity Type:
Entity Type Label: H.vivanus
Attribute:
Attribute Label: 4 Dorsal
Attribute Definition: Describes the length of the 4th dorsal filament in mm.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Age
Attribute Definition: Number of completely formed rings observed on whole sagittal otoliths.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Atresia
Attribute Definition: Describes whether any signs of atresia were evident in the gonad (1) or not (0).
Attribute:
Attribute Label: GonW
Attribute Definition: Describes the weight of the whole gonad in grams.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: LOW
Attribute Definition: Describes the weight of the left whole sagittal otolith in grams.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Margin
Attribute Definition: Describes whether an annulus is located on the margin of the sagittal otolith (1) or not (0).
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Oocytes
Attribute Definition: Describes whether oocytes remain(1) or not (0) in transitional and male gonads.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: POFs
Attribute Definition: Describes whether post-ovulatory follicles remain (1) or not (0) in female gonads.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: ROW
Attribute Definition: Describes the weight in grams of the whole right sagittal otolith.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Sample
Attribute Definition: Describes the sample number used to identify a particular fish
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Sex
Attribute Definition: Describes the sex of the fish as either male (m), female (f), or transitional T).
Attribute:
Attribute Label: SL
Attribute Definition: Describes the standard length of the fish in millimeters.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Species
Attribute Definition: describes the species which was collected. Species are P.martinicensis, H.vivanus, S. Phoebe, and C.enchrysurus
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Stage
Attribute Definition: Describes the most advanced stage of stage of oocyte development
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Station
Attribute Definition: Describes the cruise and station (USGS-Outer-continental shelf program) number during which the individual was collected.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: TW
Attribute Definition: Describes the total weight of the sample in grams.
Detailed Description:
Entity Type:
Entity Type Label: S.phoebe
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Age
Attribute Definition: Describes the number of rings observed on whole sagittal otoliths.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Atresia
Attribute Definition: Describes whether any signs of atresia are visible in gonad sections (1) or not (0).
Attribute:
Attribute Label: GonW
Attribute Definition: Describes the weight of the whole gonad in grams.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: LOW
Attribute Definition: Describes the weight of the left sagittal otolith.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Margin
Attribute Definition: Describes whether an annuli is on the edge of the otolith (1) or not (0).
Attribute:
Attribute Label: POFs
Attribute Definition: Describes whether post-ovulatory follicles are visible in the gonad sections.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: ROW
Attribute Definition: Describes the weight of the whole right otolith.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Sample
Attribute Definition: Describes the sample number used to identify a particular sample.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: SL
Attribute Definition: Describes the standard length in millimeters of the sample.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Species
Attribute Definition: Describes the species as Serranus phoebe.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Station
Attribute Definition: Describes the USGS cruise where the sample was collected from.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: StgFem
Attribute Definition: Describes the most advanced oocyte stage observed in the female portion of the gonad.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: StgMale
Attribute Definition: Describes the stage of development of the male portion of the gonad.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: TW
Attribute Definition: Describes the total weight of the sample in grams.
Detailed Description:
Entity Type:
Entity Type Label: C.enchrysurus
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Age
Attribute Definition: Describes the number of rings observed on sectioned sagittal otoliths.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Sample
Attribute Definition: Describes the sample number used to identify an individual sample.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Sex
Attribute Definition: Describes the sex of the sample as male (m) or female (f).
Attribute:
Attribute Label: SL
Attribute Definition: Describes the standard length of the sample in millimeters.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Species
Attribute Definition: Describes the species as Chromis enchrysurus.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: Station
Attribute Definition: Describes the USGS station where the sample was collected from.
Attribute:
Attribute Label: TW
Attribute Definition: Describes the total weight of the sample in grams.