Regional variation in the benefit of no-take marine reserves on reproductive output of the common coral trout, Plectropomus leopardus

No-take marine reserves potentially protect against overfishing by allowing larger, older, and more fecund fish to prosper. However, few studies have empirically tested the effect of no-take marine reserves on reproductive output, particularly for hermaphroditic species. We estimated batch fecundity from hydrated ovaries of the major target species in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) coral reef finfish fishery, the common coral trout Plectropomus leopardus. Coral trout were collected from reefs zoned open and closed to fishing in the moderately fished central (Townsville, ~18.5S) and lightly fished northern (Lizard Island, ~14.5°S) regions of the GBR over four spawning seasons (1998 – 2001). There were significant but weak positive relationships between batch fecundity and female fork length (r2=0.226, p<0.001, n=415), somatic weight (r2=0.187, p<0.001, n=403) and age (r2=0.086, p