Using length data in the Schnute Model to describe growth in a metapenaeid from waters off Australia

This paper presents a novel approach for fitting length data to the Schnute growth model. Cohorts were fitted manually to a time series of length distributions from two stocks (Clarence and Hunter Rivers) of Metapenaeus macleayi and considered analogous to individuals from tag-recapture data, in order to estimate growth parameters. Data for Clarence males best fitted the three-parameter Schnute Model (L-infinity = 21.3mm CL, kappa = 0.025 day(-1) and gamma = -1.35), whereas those for Hunter males were best fitted to a two-parameter version of the model (L-infinity = 33.5mm CL, kappa = 0.009 day(-1) and gamma = 0 fixed). The equivalent to the von Bertalanffy growth function was the best fit to female data from both stocks (L-infinity = 36.6 and 40.2mm CL, kappa = 0.004 and 0.005 day(-1) and gamma = 1 fixed for Clarence and Hunter respectively). Females grew larger than males and took longer to achieve their maximum size. No significant differences in female growth were found between stocks; however, males from the Hunter grew to a longer mean maximum length but at a slower rate than those from the Clarence. This study shows how the Schnute Model can be fitted to length based data and thus include the flexibility of comparing fits between asymptotic and non-asymptotic growth functions.