Comparison of the growth rates of two stocks ot snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) in south‐east Australian waters using capture‐recapture data

Abstract

Between 1957 and 1962, 4155 snapper, Chrysophrys auratus (Bloch & Schneider), were tagged and released at a number of sites in Victoria. By the end of June 1972, 210 had been recaptured, and knowing their lengths at release and recapture and the periods at liberty, we determined the von Bertalanffy growth parameters K and L8. The values (with 95% confidence limits) were: eastern stock ‐ K = 0.071 ± 0.040, L8 = 968 ± 325 mm; western stock ‐ K = 0.068 ± 0.023, L8 = 1079 ± 209 mm; combined stocks ‐ K = 0.062 ± 0.019, L 8 = 1119 ± 215 mm. No difference between the stocks was apparent when we compared the estimates of K and L 8 separately; however, when the estimates of K and L 8 were compared together, a Wilcoxon's test gave a significance probability of 1.5%, indicating a difference in growth rate between the stocks. For the range of lengths of snapper recaptured, this difference was evidently caused by faster growth of snapper from the western stock. © 1979 Taylor & Francis Group, Ltd.