Age, growth, and reproduction of scamp, Mycteroperca phenax, in the southwestern North Atlantic, 1979-1996

Patrick J. Harris, David M. Wyanski, D. Byron White, and Jennifer L. Moore
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 12559, Charleston, SC 29422

Scamp (Mycteroperca phenax) is a protogynous grouper that may form spawning aggregations and is a popular commercial and recreational species in the southeastern Atlantic states. Landings of scamp have increased at a rate similar to gag, therefore we investigated scamp collected from the southeastern US between 1979 and 1997 to determine if any changes in life history parameters were apparent and to describe the reproductive biology of scamp using histological techniques. Scamp sampled from the commercial fishery were significantly older (median age 5 years, n=1,379) than scamp sampled by MARMAP (median age 4 years, n=657) and headboats (median age 4 years, n = 441). Although the median age of scamp from within each data source showed significant declines between the two time periods, no temporal trends were evident for length at age data, either within a data source or for all data combined. There was a sharp increase in the number of individuals undergoing sexual transition after the spawning season (mid May). The decline in the mean age and length of scamp due to the removal of larger, old individuals from the population may affect the population in ways that are not accounted for in the SPR.