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About this collection

Extent

1 digital object.

Description

These data were collected to characterize variation in life-history traits and growth among coral reef fishes across the Northern Line Islands (NLI), a geographically remote archipelago in the central Pacific. The dataset contains specimen-level length, weight, collection year, estimated age, and biological information for eight coral reef fish species representing three major trophic groups: piscivore-invertivores, planktivores, and grazer-detritivores. Fishes were collected during land- and ship-based research expeditions from 2006–2011, with most specimens collected during a five-week research cruise across the six NLI in 2010. Specimens were collected primarily along seaward-facing forereef habitats at depths of 5–20 m using hand nets, three-prong spears, spearguns, handlines, fishing poles, and fish anesthetic. Upon collection, each fish was assigned a unique identification number and processed for morphometric measurements, including total length, fork length, standard length, and body weight. Most specimens were subsequently frozen and transported to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for additional processing and dissection. Sagittal otoliths were removed, prepared, sectioned, and examined to estimate age from annual growth increments. The resulting size-at-age data were used to estimate species- and island-specific von Bertalanffy growth parameters and examine variation in fish growth across the NLI. The deposited dataset represents the cleaned specimen-level data underlying the life-history and growth analyses presented in the associated publication.

Date Collected

• 2006 to 2011

Date Issued

• 2026

Authors

• Akiona, Anela K.
• Caldwell, Lindsay T.
• DeMartini, Edward E.
• Eynaud, Yoan
• Friedlander, Alan M.
• Hamilton, Scott L.
• Williams, Gareth J.
• Wood, Chelsea L.
• Zgliczynski, Brian J.

Principal Investigator

• Sandin, Stuart A.

Funding

This work was supported by the Moore Family Foundation and private donors to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.

Geographics

• Central Pacific Ocean
• Northern Line Islands

Scientific Names

• Acanthurus nigricans
• Cephalopholis urodeta
• Ctenochaetus marginatus
• Lutjanus bohar
• Nemanthias bartlettorum
• Paracirrhites arcatus
• Plectroglyphidodon aureus
• Pycnochromis margaritifer

Topics

• Coral reef fishes
• Domain: Biological sciences
• Ecology
• Fish age
• Fish growth
• Fish length-weight
• Fish life history
• Fish morphometrics
• Life-history traits
• Otolith aging
• Otoliths
• Reef fish ecology
• Size-at-age
• Von Bertalanffy growth function (VBGF)

Language

• English

Identifier

Identifier: Anela K. Akiona: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-1966

Identifier: Brian J. Zgliczynski: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1552-7879

Identifier: Stuart A. Sandin: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1714-4492

Related Resources

Primary associated publication

• Zgliczynski, B. J., Caldwell, L. T., Williams, G. J., Hamilton, S. L., Wood, C. L., Friedlander, A. M., Akiona, A. K., Eynaud, Y., DeMartini, E. E., Sandin, S. A. (2026). Relationships Between Oceanic Primary Production, Human Habitation and Variation in the Life-History Traits of Coral Reef Fishes Across the Northern Line Islands. Fish and Fisheries 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.70116

Collection image

• Image credit: Brian Zgliczynski. "Line Islands Reef Scene."