Abstract
Snowy grouper (Hyporthodus niveatus) and Scamp (Mycteroperca phenax) are two commercially valuable species of grouper inhabiting the continental shelf off the Southeastern coast of the United States. In recent decades, the management plans for both of these species have undergone considerable revisions involving reductions in annual catch limits and/or vessel trip limits. This project involved the use of chevron traps, bottom longlines, and bandit gear to sample these species and utilize pre-existing data to model age/length at maturity and transition in order to determine the extent to which the reduction in catch limits may have impacted the life histories of either of these groupers. Since the data from ongoing sampling was not immediately available, pre-existing data on length, age, maturity, and sex transition stage from previously sampled fish were used to fit logistic models using iterative least squares for both age/length at maturity and transition for both species for the years prior to and following their respective regulatory change. The models for both species exhibited significantly different parameters before and after catch reductions and the results of this project provide insight into important changes in the life histories of these groupers over the past three decades.