Results from ageing bias analysis.

Reef fishes have been utilized as food fish throughout the U.S. Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico waters for centuries, with increasing fishing effort in recent decades. As a result, many species have experienced declines in landings, including deepwater snappers such as queen snapper Etelis oculatus and blackfin snapper Lutjanus buccanella. However, little to no peer-reviewed published research exists on basic life history parameters for either species. Confirming the accuracy of an age estimation method for a fish species is essential for ensuring sustainable fisheries management. This is because in the assessment of fisheries species population age-based parameters, including longevity, age at sexual maturity, growth rate, mortality, age-specific reproductive output, and lifetime reproductive output, are important in understanding overall life history strategies of managed stocks. The past stock assessment on U.S. Caribbean queen snapper utilized an estimated longevity of 8 y, derived from length frequencies for fish from St. Lucia. Blackfin snapper has an estimated longevity of 27 y based on a relatively small study from offshore waters of the southeastern U.S. The focus of our investigation was to estimate maximum longevity of two data-poor species in the U.S. Caribbean. The accuracy of ageing methods was tested via bomb radiocarbon age estimation validation and effects of depth on Δ14C in otolith cores and eye lens core values were examined. Results from our work indicate a maximum validated age of 45 y for queen snapper, and 43 y for blackfin snapper. Our findings indicate queen snapper and blackfin snapper are long-lived (> 40 y). The resulting Δ14C comparison between eye lens cores and otolith cores has important implications for the study of age validation, specifically when deepwater species are involved.

数个世纪以来，美国加勒比海及墨西哥湾海域的礁栖鱼类一直被作为食用渔业资源开发利用，近数十年来捕捞强度持续攀升。受此影响，诸多物种种群的渔获量出现下滑，其中包括红钻笛鲷（queen snapper，Etelis oculatus）与黑鳍笛鲷（blackfin snapper，Lutjanus buccanella）这类深水笛鲷物种。然而，针对这两个物种的基础生活史参数，目前几乎未发表过经过同行评议的相关研究成果。
验证鱼类年龄估算方法的准确性，是保障渔业资源可持续管理的核心前提。这是因为在渔业物种种群的基于年龄的参数评估中，寿命、性成熟年龄、生长速率、死亡率、年龄特异性繁殖产出以及终生繁殖产出等指标，对于理解管理种群的整体生活史策略至关重要。此前针对美国加勒比海海域红钻笛鲷的资源评估，采用了基于圣卢西亚海域鱼类体长频率数据得出的8年估算寿命；而黑鳍笛鲷的估算寿命则为27年，该数据源自美国东南部近海一项规模相对较小的研究。
本研究的核心目标，是估算美国加勒比海海域两种数据匮乏鱼类的最大寿命。研究通过核弹碳十四（bomb radiocarbon）年龄估算验证法检验了年龄鉴定方法的准确性，并分析了水深对耳石（otolith）核心与晶状体（eye lens）核心Δ14C值的影响。结果显示，红钻笛鲷经验证的最大年龄为45年，黑鳍笛鲷则为43年。本研究结果表明，红钻笛鲷与黑鳍笛鲷均为长寿命物种（寿命超过40年）。本次研究中晶状体核心与耳石核心的Δ14C对比结果，对年龄验证研究具有重要参考价值，尤其适用于深水鱼类物种的相关研究。