Comparison of Age Determination Methods for the Starry Flounder
- 1 May 1984
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
- Vol. 113 (3) , 365-369
- https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1984)113<365:coadmf>2.0.co;2
Abstract
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, 1984This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: