Relative growth and condition factor of the Finescale Triggerfish in the southeastern Gulf of California

Relative growth and body condition of the Finescale Triggerfish (Balistes polylepis) were evaluated using fishery-dependent data from the southeastern Gulf of California across eight sampling periods between 2002 and 2024. Growth consistently showed a negative allometric pattern, with marked ontogenetic shifts occurring within a narrow size range closely associated with sexual maturity and likely changes in habitat use. These growth transitions indicate reallocation of energy from somatic development toward reproduction. The condition factor varied significantly among periods but generally remained close to unity, indicating good overall physiological status of the population. Although lower condition values coincided with the extreme El Niño event of 2015–2016, the association between climatic anomalies and body condition was not statistically significant, suggesting broad resilience to regular environmental variability and potential sensitivity only during extreme events. These results highlight the importance of accounting for ontogenetic growth shifts when assessing population dynamics and provide ecological insight relevant for the management of this exploited species.