Quality of the reef fish Upeneus tragula (Mullidae) at settlement: is size a good indicator of condition?

Abstract

Quality at settlement of the goatfish was examined at a location near Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Nine commonly used measures of fish condition were employed: standard length (SL), body depth at the pectoral fin, total lipid content, carbohydrate content, protein content, water content, growth rate, burst swimming speed and Fulton's condition factor (K=weight/SL3). High and significant levels of variability were found in all measures of condition. The poor correlations between all measures of fish quality (with exception of morphological measures) suggests no single measure gives an adequate description of a fish's survival potential. -from Authors