Image-enhanced burnt otoliths, bomb radiocarbon and the growth dynamics of redfish (Sebastes mentella and S. fasciatus) off the eastern coast of Canada
Steven E. Campana A D , Alexandra E. Valentin B , Shayne E. MacLellan C and Joanne B. Groot C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, PO Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 4A2, Canada.
B Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 850 route la Mer, Mont-Joli, QC, G5H 3Z4, Canada.
C Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6N7, Canada.
D Corresponding author. Present address: Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland. Email: steven.e.campana@gmail.com
Marine and Freshwater Research 67(7) 925-936 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF15002
Submitted: 3 January 2015 Accepted: 11 June 2015 Published: 22 October 2015
Journal Compilation © CSIRO Publishing 2016 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
Many past attempts to age deep-water redfish (Sebastes mentella) and Acadian redfish (S. fasciatus) in the north-west Atlantic have been stymied by inappropriate ageing methods, the absence of age validation and the failure to differentiate among species. Herein we report substantial improvements in methods for ageing Sebastes spp. by linking the established ‘crack and burn’ method to modern sectioning and image-enhancement protocols. Bomb radiocarbon assays of the otolith core and monitoring of year-class progression confirmed the accuracy of the resulting age determinations to an age of 46 years. The use of microsatellite DNA to confirm species identity eliminated past confusion caused by species mixtures. Age determinations of 1252 redfish from the eastern coast of Canada demonstrated the presence of significant differences in growth rate and longevity both between the two redfish species and among populations and stocks, with a maximum observed longevity of 70 years. Even within species and stocks, an individual fish with a fork length of 38 cm could be anywhere between 15 and 50 years of age, highlighting a near cessation of somatic growth after sexual maturation. In keeping with other deep-water species, sustainable management will require more attention to the low productivity expected of redfish stocks, rather than the high initial biomass that can support short-term but high catch rates.
Additional keywords: age validation, annuli, break and burn, 14C, false check.
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