Otolith research and application: current directions in innovation and implementation

Gavin A. Begg; Steven E. Campana; Anthony J. Fowler; Iain M. Suthers

doi:10.1071/MF05111

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Next Contents Vol 56(5)

Otolith research and application: current directions in innovation and implementation

Gavin A. Begg ^A ^E , Steven E. Campana ^B , Anthony J. Fowler ^C and Iain M. Suthers ^D

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A CRC Reef Research Centre and School of Tropical Environment Studies and Geography, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.

^B Marine Fish Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, PO Box 1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2, Canada.

^C South Australian Research and Development Institute, PO Box 120, Henley Beach, SA 5022, Australia.

^D School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

^E Corresponding author. Email: gavin.begg@jcu.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 56(5) 477-483 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF05111
Submitted: 2 June 2005 Accepted: 6 June 2005 Published: 22 July 2005

Abstract

The Third International Symposium on Fish Otolith Research and Application was held in Townsville, Queensland, Australia from 11 to 16 July 2004. The overall theme was ‘Innovation and Implementation’, a collection of which is published here (Volume 56, Issue 5). Although age and growth studies predominated at the Symposium, new areas of quality-control assurance, annual-increment formation in deep-sea and tropical fish, image analysis and two-dimensional feature extraction were demonstrated. New statistical approaches were also evident, particularly in the subsampling of commercial data for estimating age compositions. The chemical composition of otoliths as natural data loggers has greatly advanced since the 1998 Symposium, with the advent of micromilling machines, new instrumentation and the use of isotopes rather than elements as environmental indicators. Otoliths will continue to support modern environmental needs for fisheries, marine park assessment, metapopulation conservation and the management of stocks and biodiversity of fish.

Extra keywords: age, assessment, chemistry, climate, ecology, fisheries management, growth, otolith, symposium, validation.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the authors of the 69 manuscripts that were submitted for consideration for the Special Issue. Competition for limited space was intense and many difficult decisions were made. We also mark the large contribution of more than 120 referees who contributed insightful and cogent manuscript reviews. The efforts of all parties ensured the timely publication of this Special Issue. We also thank the Scientific Steering Committee and all the delegates who attended the Symposium as well as our numerous sponsors, who made the Symposium possible, including the CRC Reef Research Centre, James Cook University, Bureau of Rural Sciences, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Department of Environment and Heritage, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Primary Industries Research Victoria, Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, South Australian Research and Development Institute, Western Australia Department of Fisheries, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australian Society of Fish Biology, CSIRO Marine Research and Northern Territory Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development. The Symposium was proudly supported by International Science Linkages established under the Australian Government’s innovation statement, ‘Backing Australia’s Ability’.

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