Reproduction
Documenting the size and age structures during reproduction of coral trout stocks have been a focus of the ELF Experiment as a major indication of how fish stocks respond to various levels of fishing pressure.
Coral trout are protogynous hermaphrodites. They start their lives as females and change sex later in life. The trigger of this sex change is unknown. On average, sex change occurs when fish are between 23 centimetres (9.1 in) and 62 cm (24 in) in length; the average length at sex change is 42 centimetres (17 in). This is believed to happen most frequently in the months immediately following spawning.
ELF research has determined that the sex ratio differs in different areas of the Great Barrier Reef, and may differ between reefs opened and protected from fishing. Sex ratios are an important consideration for management, as changes could seriously affect reproduction and thus the number of juveniles coming into the fishery in future years. All length classes of fish may have both male and female individuals. However, small fish are generally females, while most large fish are males.
Read more about this topic: Coral Trout
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