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Yellowfin tuna (YFT, Thunnus albacares) is a commercially important species targeted by fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico (GM). Previous studies suggest a high degree of residency in the northern GM, although part of the population performs movements to southern Mexican waters. Whether YFT caught in southern waters also exhibit residency or migrate to the northern gulf is currently uncertain, and little is known regarding their trophic ecology. The isotopic composition (bulk & amino acids) of YFT muscle and liver tissues were compared to a zooplankton-based synoptic isoscape from the entire GM to infer feeding areas and estimate Trophic Position (TP). The spatial distribution of δ15Nbulk and δ15NPhe values of zooplankton indicated two distinct isotopic baselines: one with higher values in the northern GM likely driven by denitrification over the continental shelf, and another in the central-southern gulf, where nitrogen fixation predominates. Based on the contribution of the two regional isotopic baselines to YFT tissues, broad feeding areas were inferred, with a greater contribution of the northern GM (over a one-year time scale by muscle), and to a lesser extent in the central-southern GM (over the ca. 6-month scale by liver). This was corroborated by similarities in δ15NPhe values between YFT and the northern GM. TP estimates were calculated based on stable isotope analysis of bulk (SIA) and compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA-AA) of the canonical source and trophic amino acids. Mean TP based on SIA was 4.9 ± 1.0 and mean TP based on CSIA-A was 3.9 ± 0.2. YFT caught within the Mexican region seem to feed in northern and in central and southern GM, while feeding in the northern GM has a temporal component. Thus, management strategies need to consider that YFT caught in US and Mexican waters are a shared binational resource that exhibit feeding migrations within the GM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samples of the shovelnose guitarfish Pseudobatos productus were collected on board a vessel and at landings of artisanal commercial fisheries in the Gulf of California from May 2004 to June 2007. Samples of 650 females, 2047 embryos and 484 uterine eggs were examined. The reproductive cycle is annual, ovulation and parturition occur in July, the uterine eggs are in diapause for 9 months (July-March) before an accelerated growth of embryos of 3 months. Histological analyses of the uterine wall of pregnant females suggested that no secretions were used for embryo nourishment. The standard percentage of water content was 48·6% in fertilized eggs and 80·75% in full-term embryos. Dry mass loss during embryonic development was 16·3% and the chemical balance of development was 0·84. This indicates that P. productus is a strictly lecithotrophic, viviparous species, that makes no maternal contribution of nutrients during embryonic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White seabass, Atractoscion nobilis , is an important coastal resource throughout both California and Baja California, but whether this species comprises a single or multiple subpopulations in the northeastern Pacific is not known. The aim of this study was to infer larval rearing habitats and population structure of white seabass by sampling adults from three regions spanning a latitudinal temperature gradient and a distance of over 1000 km, and analyzing the isotopic composition (δ 18 O and δ 13 C) of otolith aragonite corresponding to the larval, juvenile and adult stages. Otolith cores revealed high isotopic variability and no significant differences among regions, suggesting overlapping rearing conditions during the larval stage, the potential for long distance dispersal or migration or selective mortality of larvae at higher temperatures. Back-calculated temperatures of aragonite precipitation derived using regional salinity-δ w relationships and local salinity estimates also did not differ significantly. However, there were significant differences between the δ 18 O values of the first seasonal growth ring of age 0 fish as well as back-calculated aragonite precipitation temperatures, suggesting the presence of two potentially discrete subpopulations divided by Punta Eugenia (27°N) along the central Baja California peninsula. These findings are consistent with regional oceanographic patterns and are critical for understanding white seabass population structure, and provide information needed for the implementation of appropriate management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White Seabass ( Atractoscion nobilis ; Sciaenidae) comprise an important commercial resource in the USA and Mexico, but there are few growth rate estimates and its population structure remains uncertain. Growth rates were estimated based on otolith analysis of fish collected at three locations spanning 1000-km. Variations in growth rates were assessed at the population level and by reconstructing individual growth trajectories. Seabass were sampled from fisheries operating off southern California (SC) and the northern and southern (NBC and SBC) Baja California peninsula from 2009 to 2012 ( n = 415). Ages ranged from 0 to 28-years, but fish >21-years of age were sampled infrequently. Size-at-age was highly variable, particularly for fish <5-years. White Seabass grew quickly during the first 8-years of life after which growth rates decreased considerably. Fitting the size-at-age data with the von Bertalanffy growth function and applying the likelihood ratio test to parameter estimates indicated that SC, NBC and SBC did not differ significantly in growth rates (0.18–0.19-yr −1 ) or asymptotic length (141-cm total length). Individual otolith growth trajectories showed high variability within regions and there were only significant differences in the average width of the first annuli. However, residual analysis of the average annual radii suggests fish from SBC had a larger size-at-age. Those differences may be related to the higher coastal temperatures found in southern coastal waters. Although growth rates may differ during the first year of life, findings suggest growth to be similar across the study range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]