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Comparison of Age Determination Methods for the Starry Flounder
Author(s) -
Campana Steven E.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1984)113<365:coadmf>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - otolith , platichthys , flounder , bay , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , fishery , anatomy , oceanography , geology
Sagittal otoliths from 808 starry flounders Platichthys stellatus from Bellingham Bay, Washington were examined for annular structures by two techniques: Traditional external readings of whole otoliths and internal readings of “cracked and burnt” otoliths. The annular nature of rings observed by both techniques was confirmed by seasonal progression of the width of opaque otolith margins in fish 1–3 years old. Annular rings were also confirmed in internally read otoliths with 4–10 rings. More annuli could be identified in sexually mature fish when read internally (maximum, 24) than externally (maximum, 11). Anteroposterior growth of starry flounder sagittae was attenuated with age, although the sagittae continued to thicken; this accounts in large measure for the relative success of the two techniques. Despite the likelihood of geographical variation, it appears that starry flounders have a longer lifetime than was previously suspected. Received November 17, 1983 Accepted April 8, 1984