Robert L. Humphreys

Maturation and reproductive cycle of female armorhead Pseudopentaceros wheeleri from the southern Emperor–northern Hawaiian Ridge Seamounts

The stage of ovarian development and annual reproductive cycle of female armorhead Pseudopentaceros wheeleri collected from seamounts of the southern Emperor—northern Hawaiian Ridge in 1993 and 1995–1996 was investigated through use of the gonadal somatic index (GSI) and ovarian histology. The stages of oocyte development were classified into eight developmental stages (perinucleolus, cortical alveolus, oil droplet, early yolk globule, late yolk globule, migratory nucleolus, prematuration, and maturation) based on histological characteristics. Oocytes of different size and developmental stage were present within ovaries during the spawning season. Oocyte development appears to be asynchronous and armorhead apparently spawn several times during the spawning season. The stage of the most developed oocyte was used to classify the stage of ovarian maturation. The GSI increased gradually with ovarian development. Oocytes in the perinucleolus, cortical alveolus, and oil droplet stages were present in ovaries throughout the year. Early and late yolk globule stages appeared during August–September indicating that yolk formation begins during late summer. The migratory nucleolus through maturation stages were detected during November–January. Post ovulatory follices were present during November–March, and GSI values rapidly decreased in February. Results indicate that spawning occurs during November–February and peaks during December–January.

Stock assessment update for the main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 bottomfish complex through 2013 with projected annual catch limits through 2016

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Seasonality, sex ratio, spawning frequency and sexual maturity of the opakapaka Pristipomoides filamentosus (Perciformes: Lutjanidae) from the Main Hawaiian Islands: fundamental input to size-at-retention regulations

The crimson jobfish Pristipomoides filamentosus (locally known as ‘opakapaka’ in Hawaii) is a deep-water eteline lutjanid that supports important commercial and recreational fisheries in Hawaii and throughout much of the Indo-Pacific region. It is one of the most commonly caught species of the ‘Deep-7’ bottomfish species complex in the commercial bottomfish fishery of Hawaii. However, there are currently no validated estimates of median body sizes at sexual maturity that can be used in a comprehensive evaluation of the species’ stock status within Hawaiian bottomfish fisheries. Herein we provide size-at-maturity estimates for the species in the main Hawaiian Islands: median length at maturity of 40.7-cm fork length (FL; 95% confidence interval (CI) 40.3–41.2cm) for females and 34.3cm FL (95% CI 33.3–35.3cm) for males, with respective equivalent median weight-at-maturity estimates of ~1.17 and ~0.70kg (2.58 and 1.55 lb). We suggest these newly available data be seriously considered in any future evaluations of minimum size regulations, currently set at ~0.45kg (1 lb) regardless of sex, for the species’ fisheries in Hawaii.