Validated age and growth of Barred Sand Bass within the Southern California Bight

Abstract

The recreational fishery for Barred Sand Bass (Paralabrax nebulifer) has recently shown declines in catch prompting a need for updating life-history attributes. The objective of this study was to provide a more extensive and current examination of Barred Sand Bass age and growth. Fish were collected from the southern California bight from 2011 to 2015. Using Akaike Information Criteria analysis we determined that the three-parameter von Bertalanffy growth model was the best fit out of the four tested models (Gompertz, Logistic, Power, and von Bertalanffy). Males grew slightly quicker than females (k, males = 0.10, females = 0.08). Males and females did not differ in length, weight, or the length-weight relationship. We also validated yearly banding of Barred Sand Bass with oxytetracycline marking of two fish in captivity for one year. Location of the first annulus was also validated with otolith diameter measurements. Finally, we compared the current study to a past 1990’s study and observed different growth parameters. The growth difference after thirty years showed that possible fishing pressure and environmental factors might have influenced changes in growth. This study provides current information on age, growth over time and, otolith morphometrics, for Barred Sand Bass.