Age, Growth, and Reproduction of the Yellow-Edged Lyretail Variola louti (Forssakal, 1775)

Groupers (Family Epinephelidae) are important to commercial, subsistence, and recreational fisheries throughout the world. Grouper species have complex life histories that make them more vulnerable to exploitation. While there has been extensive research on some, the majority of groupers lack sufficient life history information for proper management. The yellow-edge lyretail grouper, Variola louti, has life history gaps that need to be filled and lacks regional life history information for Guam. Age, growth, and reproduction were assessed from fishery-dependent samples collected from around Guam from 2010 to 2017. The life history of Variola louti suggests that it is a relatively fast growing and early maturing grouper that is not as vulnerable to exploitation as larger bodied, slower growing groupers. However, future monitoring of sex ratio, size at maturity, and size at sex change is recommended to track and manage fishery effects, such as the recent scuba spear ban in Guam, on the life history and population status of this species.

Schemmel E, Dahl K. 2023. Age, growth, and reproduction of the yellow-edged lyretail Variola louti (Forssakal, 1775) Environ Biol Fish (2023)  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-023-01411-3.