PERMIT 101

Project Title: Permit 101: What do they eat, how fast do they grow, and how are different populations related?

So little is known about permit (Trachinotus falcatus) biology that, other than a single study conducted in South Florida in the 1990s, we have no data on their diet, how fast they grow, at what age they mature, and the extent that populations around the Caribbean are related. Effective management is not possible with such a lack of information.

The lack of growth rate data is especially disconcerting given our recent findings about bonefish: bonefish grow at different rates among locations – bonefish in the Florida Keys grow two to three times faster than bonefish in the rest of the Caribbean. Similar research is needed for permit, since such differences in growth rates may cause fish to mature or enter the fishery at different sizes or ages around the Caribbean, potentially requiring different management measures. Analysis of permit otoliths (earbones), which have annual growth rings in them (similar to trees), will allow us to determine permit growth rates.

We also do not know the extent that permit populations in different locations are related. Since permit larvae drift in the open ocean for 15 ? 20 days, there is the strong probability that populations around the Caribbean are related. If a large portion of adult permit in any location were spawned somewhere else (for example, if adult permit in Florida were spawned in Belize), then management must be modified. Genetic analysis of permit from around the Caribbean will allow us to estimate the extent that different populations are related.

Every angler wants to know what the fish are eating. In addition, diet information is also important to determining how a fish species interacts with its environment, how diet might effect growth rate, and how healthy that environment is. Unfortunately we have virtually no data on permit diet. Analysis of permit stomach contents from multiple locations is necessary.

• Total Project Cost: $350,000
• Annual Requested Funds: $70,000