The challenge of growing: ontogenetic and seasonal patterns in juvenile whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47193/mafis.39420260011007Keywords:
Nursery area, annuli, age, Micropogonias furnieri, back-calculationAbstract
The whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) is an important fishery resource in the southwestern Atlantic. In Argentina, Samborombón Bay represents its main nursery area, where juveniles remain during their first years of life. This study aimed to characterize growth patterns of juvenile whitemouth croaker in this nursery area and to assess their variation between warm and cold seasons. We integrated information on body length, weight, age, and growth marks recorded in sagittae otoliths and examined the relationship between somatic and otolith growth. Juveniles showed seasonal differences in length structure and in the length–weight relationship, whereas the relationship between body length and otolith radius remained consistent across seasons. Length structure was consistent with the coexistence of individuals originating at different times throughout the species’ extended reproductive period. Length ranges for juvenile age classes were also updated: ≤ 18 cm for age 0, > 18 to ≤ 25 cm for age 1, and > 25 to ≤ 32 cm for age 2. Otolith growth marks showed a clear ontogenetic progression, with seasonal variation detected at specific radial positions. Finally, a back-calculation approach based on generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) was developed to reconstruct individual growth trajectories, with better performance in younger age classes. Overall, our findings show that juvenile growth in whitemouth croaker reflects both ontogenetic variability and seasonal differences in specific growth components, and highlight the value of integrating somatic, age, and otolith information to characterize growth during the juvenile stage.
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