Biology of the dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) in the western central Atlantic: a review

The dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus, is a circum-tropical oceanic epipelag ic species which is of significant importance to both commercial and sport fisheries in the western central Atlantic. Despite this, little attention h as been paid to conducting biological stock assessments and developing mana gement strategies for this species, and it remains unmanaged across most of the region. This paper summarizes aspects of the biology of dolphinfish th at are relevant to assessment and management from studies of this species i n the southeastern United States, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Through out their range in the western central Atlantic, dolphinfish are seasonally abundant and presumed to be highly migratory. They exhibit high growth rat es, early maturity, batch spawning over an extended season, a short life sp an and a varied diet. Marked differences in some biological characteristics and in the frequency of IDH-2 alleles between dolphinfish from the southea stern USA and the Caribbean suggest a relatively complex stock structure fo r this species, which needs further investigation to improve the informatio n base for development of management strategies for dolphinfish across this region.