Academic literature on the topic 'Nemadactyllus macropterus'

Relationships between the anatomy of the endolymphatic sac, sac otoconia, sagitta and astericus of Nemadactylus macropterus (Cheilodactylidae: Teleostei) are described and the variation in opaque and hyaline zones, sulcal checks, and daily microincrement widths along different growth axes of the otolith measured. The quantitative morphology of the otolith is used to compare the different age estimation techniques for N. macropterus that are based on opaque and hyaline zones, sulcal checks, and daily microincrements. Comparison of the different methods shows that at the present state of knowledge daily microincrements present the most credible age estimation method for N. macropterus.

The demonstration by this study that the life cycle characteristics of the reef fish Nemadactylus valenciennesi differed markedly from those of other cheilodactylids led us to compare these differences and hypothesise on their evolutionary implications. The distribution, length and age compositions, growth and the length and age at maturity of N. valenciennesi in south-western Australian waters have been determined. The maximum age (21 years) of N. valenciennesi (maximum total length = 984 mm) is far less than those of the much smaller Cheilodactylus fuscus, Nemadactylus macropterus (both ~40 years) and Cheilodactylus spectabilis (97 years). Yet N. valenciennesi, N. macropterus and C. spectabilis mature at a similar young age (3–7 years). While, on the basis of data for other species, all three species mature at lengths consistent with their asymptotic lengths, the last two species mature at a far earlier age than would be predicted from their long life spans. The early attainment of maturity by N. macropterus and C. spectabilis may reflect a response to high juvenile mortality or constrained adult growth, whereas their long life spans could reflect a response to variable recruitment in the past or compensation for limited annual reproductive output due to very constrained adult growth.

In 1979, the Suess effect was described as decreasing δ13C in the oceans linked to anthropogenic CO2 emissions. After years of over-fertilization of farming soils and runoff, we hypothesized that δ15N in coastal environments would also decline, whereby synthetic fertilizers lead to depletion of the heavy isotope 15N. We used museum-preserved and modern samples of 3 fishes from Otago, New Zealand, to reconstruct the isotopic baselines of C and N and assess specific trophic positions through time (1955-present) based on bulk and amino acid stable isotope values. Our sample set included Odax pullus, a strictly herbivorous species, and 2 commercially important species: Nemadactylus macropterus and Parapercis colias. Muscle tissue of the fishes recorded the change in δ13CBulk through time, which matched estimated Suess effect values for New Zealand. We also resolved the effects on the C isotopic baseline from natural changes in the food web using analysis of the δ13C of essential amino acids and found that while P. colias maintained a steady diet, the food web position of N. macropterus likely changed. Analysis of δ15N of phenylalanine in O. pullus indicated a decrease of 0.023‰ yr-1 since 1955, which corroborates our coastal N-enrichment hypothesis. Furthermore, we found that isotopic changes for N. macropterus were consistent with overfishing and habitat degradation in the region. These data provide vital information for our resolution and understanding of how past environments have changed in terms of both anthropogenic influences on coastal food web structure and biogeochemical cycles of C and N in marine ecosystems.

The jackass morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus), a commercially valuable marine fish in the Australian–New Zealand region, was surveyed for genetic variation as part of a larger project aimed at clarifying its stock structure. Mitochondrial DNA variation in 166 jackass morwong from seven southern Australian localities was examined using nine restriction enzymes. The 28 haplotypes identified gave an overall nucleon diversity of 0.671. Mean nucleotide diversity per sample was 0.458%, with a (corrected) nucleotide divergence among samples of 0.001%. There was no significant spatial patterning. Five hundred individuals from eight southern Australian localities and one New Zealand locality were examined using three restriction enzymes detecting polymorphic cut sites. The 33 haplotypes identified gave an overall nucleon diversity of 0.635. Mean nucleotide diversity per sample was 1.247%, with a (corrected) nucleotide divergence among samples of 0.002%. No differentiation was detected among the Australian localities. The New Zealand sample showed weak but significant divergence from the Australian samples. These results were similar to those from a concurrent allozyme analysis, and we conclude that there is appreciable nuclear and mitochondrial DNA gene flow among Australian localities, while the Tasman Sea separating Australia from New Zealand acts as a partial barrier.

Transverse sections of sagittae were examined. The first and second annual increments were defined by examination of the progression of otolith radius and length of the 0+ and 1+ cohorts. Growth in both sexes is rapid until ~5 years old (32–35 cm), and then slows appreciably. There was a broad range of lengths within individual age-classes, with a maximum of 12 age-classes present in a 1 cm length-class. Maximum ages of males and females were 41 and 30 years, respectively, which is considerably higher than previously estimated from whole otoliths. There was no significant difference in the growth curves between males and females, although this is influenced by the large number of juveniles and by the examination of relatively few large, older fish. The sex-specific von Bertalanffy growth parameters are: L∞ 38.4 cm FL, t0 –0.07 years, K 0.36 year–1 for females and L∞ 36.2 cm FL, t0 0.15 years, K 0.42 year–1 for males. The age composition was dominated by 4–7 year olds but showed evidence of considerable recruitment variability, particularly in the strong 1988 year-class. The relationship between the life-history strategy of N. macropterus and recruitment variability is discussed.

Nemadactylus macropterus was sampled from eight localities around southern Australia, ranging from Western Australia to New South Wales, and from one area off the western coast of New Zealand. Thirty-three enzyme loci were analysed by gel electrophoresis. Average heterozygosity per locus per sample was 10.1 %, ranging from 8.4% to 11.I% per sample. Although no significant differentiation was observed among the Australian samples, there was significant differentiation between the Australian and New Zealand samples. This was primarily attributable to variation at the sAAT-I * locus, where the common allele had a frequency of around 0.80 in Australian samples and around 0.94 in the New Zealand sample (P<0.001). Across all 33 loci, 0.47% of the total genetic variation in Australian and New Zealand samples was due to differentiation between these two areas. This is significantly greater (P=0.001) than the value of 0.17% that could be ascribed to sampling error alone. Two loci (ADH* and GPI-I *) that had previously been reported as monomorphic in New Zealand specimens were found to be polymorphic in the New Zealand samples analysed in this study, and allele frequencies at these loci were indistinguishable from Australian samples.

Three dominant recruitment patterns were identified across 30 stocks from Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, and the Falkland Islands using data from 1980 to 2010. Cluster and dynamic factor analysis provided similar groupings. Stocks exhibited a detectable degree of synchrony among species, in particular the hakes and lings from Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and South Africa. We tested three climate indices, the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO), Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), to explore their relationship with fish stock recruitment patterns. The time series of IPO and SOI showed the strongest correlation with New Zealand hoki (blue grenadier, Macruronus novaezelandiae) and Australian jackass morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus) (r = 0.50 and r = –0.50), and SAM was positively related to Australian Macquarie Island Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) (r = 0.49). Potential linkages in recruitment patterns at sub-basin, basin, and multibasin scales and regional and global climate indices do account for some of the variation, playing an important role for several key Southern Hemisphere species.

Per-haul records of catches by steam trawlers on the south-eastern Australian continental shelf from 1918 to 1957 were examined for the main commercial species tiger flathead (Neoplatycephalus richardsoni), jackass morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus), redfish (Centroberyx affinis), latchet (Pterygotrigla polyommata) and chinaman leatherjacket (Nelusetta ayraudi). Catch rates in weight per haul per species were standardised to annual indices of abundance using a log-linear model. Standardised annual index trends for flathead, latchet and leatherjacket indicate a strong to severe decline during the period covered by the data. All species showed seasonal patterns, but the peak season varied depending on the species. The distribution of standardised catch rate by area also differed greatly by species, and no single area showed consistent differences across all species. Day trawls caught more flathead, redfish and latchet, while night trawls caught more morwong and leatherjacket. Moon phase had less influence on catch rates than other factors. The correlation of annual index trends to a number of annual mean environmental factors was examined and no strong correlations were found.

Haul-by-haul steam trawler catch and effort data for 1918�23, 1937�43 and 1952�57, which covers a large portion of the history of steam trawling in the Australian South East Fishery, were examined in detail for the first time. There were 64,371 haul records in total. The catch-rate for all retained catch combined shows a strong decline overall, with a brief recovery during World War II, probably due to increased retention of previously discarded species. The fishing fleet moved to more distant fishing grounds and deeper waters as the catch-rate declined. The catch-rates of the main commercial species followed a similar pattern in a number of regions within the fishery. The catchrate of the primary target species � tiger flathead (Neoplatycephalus richardsoni) � dropped considerably from the early, very high, catch-rates. Chinaman leatherjacket (Nelusetta ayraudi) and latchet (Pterygotrigla polyommata) � species that were apparently abundant in the early years of the fishery � virtually disappeared from catches in later years. The appearance of greater catches of jackass morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus), redfish (Centroberyx affinis), and shark/skate during the war and afterwards was probably due to increased retention of catches of these species. The disappearance of certain species from the catch may be due to high fishing pressure alone, or to a combination of fishing pressure, changes in the shelf habitat possibly caused by the trawl gear, and environmental fluctuations. Catch-rates in weight per haul per species were standardised to annual indices of abundance using a log-linear model. Standardised annual index trends for flathead, latchet and leatherjacket indicate a strong to severe decline over the period covered by the data. All species showed seasonal patterns, but the peak season varied depending on the species. The distribution of standardised catch-rate by area also differed greatly by species, and no single area showed consistent differences across all species. Day trawls caught more flathead, redfish and latchet, while night trawls caught more morwong and leatherjacket. Moon phase had less influence on catch-rates than the other factors examined. Correlation of annual index trends with a number of annual mean environmental factors was examined and no strong correlations were found. Annual catches of the major commercial trawl species on the SE Australian shelf were estimated from recorded total trawl catches, catch species composition from subsamples and estimates of the rate of discarding. These annual catches, standardised indices of abundance and biological population parameters were used in single-species stock reduction models to estimate absolute biomass trends. Biological population parameters and the biomass estimates were used to calculate management reference point fishing mortality rates F0.1, Fspr30 and Fmsy. Results showed that simple plausible population models can be constructed that account for catches over the long period of time from 1915 to 1961. Simple mass-balance ecosystem models were built for the demersal community of the SE Australian shelf for 1915 and 1961 using the Ecopath software. Model inputs were consistent with a more comprehensive SE marine ecosystem model in development by CSIRO. The models demonstrate that biomass estimates produced by the single species stock reduction models can be consistently integrated into simple plausible massbalance ecosystem models. Modern stock assessments for the main commercial species in this fishery today mostly used data collected since about 1985. Abundance indices and total catch estimates from this study have been used in the most recent assessments for tiger flathead and morwong, allowing construction of the exploitation history for these species spanning almost 100 years. Use of the historical information has increased confidence in the estimates of the modern stock assessments � particularly management reference points, and has allowed us to quantify changes in fish abundance that have simply been documented anecdotally in the past.