Grant Adams, a new PhD student in the Punt Lab, recently published an article in Fisheries Research on growth variability of Sheepshead across the North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Growth variation can have implications for the management of exploited fish populations because of its impacts on stock productivity and fisheries reference points. Persistent spatial variation in growth can also be used to guide how populations are assessed and managed. Grant’s research revealed latitudinal variation in growth from Texas to Virginia that may be used in the ongoing development of management strategies for this recreationally targeted fish.

Adams, GD, Leaf, RT, Ballenger, JA, Arnot, McDonough, SA. 2018. Spatial variability in the individual growth of Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) in the Southeast US: Implications for assessment and management. Fisheries Research 206: 35-43. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2018.04.023.