An Age- and Temperature-Mediated Growth Model for Cod (Gadus morhua) and Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) Larvae in the Gulf of Maine

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Abstract
While field studies of larval fish growth require an easily parameterized growth model, simple relationships between size and age are seldom applicable to other populations and/or environments. The model presented here attempts to bridge the gap between simple age-length regressions and more sophisticated experiment-based models by incorporating a temperature term as a function of absolute growth rate. Growth is assumed to be logistic, with temperature influencing growth rate parabolically on a daily basis. The integrated form of the model provides an estimate of length-at-age of the larva. When fitted to a variety of independent cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) data sets collected in the Gulf of Maine, the model performed with minimal bias despite the absence of a food availability term. Larval age data were generated through validated otolith microstructure examinations, although the resolution limits of light microscopy introduced a small degree of bias (2-3 d) into the estimates. The daily temperature record was generated from a sinusoidal model using monthly mean temperatures. Since otolith microstructure examination and remote sensing of temperature are established techniques, this model may prove useful in other larval studies.

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