Warsaw grouper, Hyporthodus nigritus, is a western Atlantic Ocean species typically found at depths between 55 and 525 m. It is listed as a species of concern by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service and as near threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. However, little information exists on the species' life history in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) and its stock status in that region is currently unknown. Age of nGOM Warsaw grouper was investigated via opaque zone counts in otolith thin sections (max age = 61 y), and then the bomb 14C chronometer was employed to validate the accuracy of age estimates. Otolith cores (n = 14) were analyzed with accelerator mass spectrometry and resulting Δ14C values overlain on a loess regression computed for a regional coral and known-age red snapper Δ14C time series. Residual analysis between predicted Δ14C values from the loess regression versus Warsaw grouper otolith core Δ14C values indicated no significant difference in the two data series. Therefore, the accuracy of otolith-based aging was validated, which enabled growth and longevity estimates to be made for nGOM Warsaw grouper. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) Δ14C values collected from the nGOM support the inference that juvenile Warsaw grouper occur in shelf waters (<200 m) since DIC Δ14C values in this depth range are enriched in 14C and similar to the Δ14C values from otolith cores. A Bayesian model was fit to fishery-dependent age composition data and produced von Bertalanffy growth function parameters of L∞ = 1,533 mm, k = 0.14 y-1, and t0 = 1.82 y. Fishing mortality also was estimated in the model, which resulted in a ratio of fishing to natural mortality of 5.1:1. Overall, study results indicate Warsaw grouper is a long-lived species that is estimated to have experienced significant overfishing in the nGOM, with the age of most landed fish being <10 y.

中文翻译：

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从耳石放射性碳分析推论，墨西哥湾北部华沙石斑鱼Hyporthodus nigritus的生活史。

华沙石斑鱼，Hyporthodus nigritus，是大西洋西部的一个物种，通常发现在55至525 m的深度之间。它被美国国家海洋渔业局列为关注物种，并受到国际自然保护联盟的威胁。但是，关于该物种在墨西哥湾北部（nGOM）的生活史的信息很少，目前在该地区的种群状况尚不清楚。通过耳石薄片中的不透明区域计数（最大年龄= 61岁）调查了nGOM华沙石斑鱼的年龄，然后使用炸弹14C天文钟验证了年龄估计的准确性。用加速器质谱仪分析了耳石核心（n = 14），并在针对区域珊瑚和已知年龄的红鲷鱼Δ14C时间序列计算的黄土回归上，将所得的Δ14C值覆盖了黄土回归。黄土回归的预测Δ14C值与华沙石斑耳石核心的Δ14C值之间的残差分析表明，在两个数据系列中没有显着差异。因此，验证了基于耳石的老化的准确性，这使nGOM华沙石斑鱼的生长和寿命得以估算。从nGOM收集到的溶解无机碳（DIC）Δ14C值支持推断华沙石斑鱼出现在架子水域（<200 m）中，因为该深度范围内的DICΔ14C值富含14C，与耳石岩心的Δ14C值相似。贝叶斯模型适合于渔业依赖的年龄构成数据，并产生了冯·贝塔兰菲的生长函数参数，L∞= 1,533 mm，k = 0.14 y-1，t0 = 1.82 y。该模型还估算了捕鱼死亡率，捕鱼与自然死亡率的比值为5.1：1。总体而言，研究结果表明，华沙石斑鱼是一种长寿物种，据估计在非政府组织中经历了严重的过度捕捞，大多数陆上鱼类的年龄小于10年。