A preliminary study of the age and growth of Paddletail Snapper Lutjanus gibbus (Forsskål 1775) in Bunaken Marine Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Paddle tail snapper Lutjanus gibbus (Forsskål 1775) is an important target species of commercial, recreational, artisanal and indigenous fisheries in tropical Indo-Pacific waters, but away from the centre of its distribution it is often avoided as being a high risk for ciguatera poisoning. This study investigated the age and growth of a tropical population of L. gibbus in Bunaken Marine Park, Indonesia. A total of 95 specimens were sampled with fork lengths between 151-312 mm. From growth increments on sectioned otoliths, ages ranged from 1-9 years old, with ages 3 and 4 years being the most common. Growth in length was described by the von Bertalanffy growth function with parameters L∞ = 274 mm (fork length), K = 0.78 and t0 = -0.24. The population of L. gibbus in Bunaken Marine Park consists of fast-growing fish that attain smaller size than populations at higher latitudes, which may possibly contribute to a lower risk of ciguatera poisoning. The fast population turn-over characteristics of L. gibbus indicates the potential of the population to sustain high harvest pressure. However, the lack of management of the fishery could still lead to over-exploitation.