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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Preliminary age and growth of the deep-water goblin shark Mitsukurina owstoni (Jordan, 1898)

Fabio P. Caltabellotta https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8174-2249 A B F , Zachary A. Siders B , Gregor M. Cailliet C , Fabio S. Motta https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8009-8890 D and Otto B. F. Gadig E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, Oregon State University, 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA.

B Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, 118 Newins-Ziegler Hall, PO Box 110410, Gainesville, FL 32611-0410, USA.

C Pacific Shark Research Center, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA.

D Marine Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, Federal University of São Paulo, Rua Dr Carvalho de Mendonça, 144, Encruzilhada, Santos, SP, CEP 11070-100, Brazil.

E Elasmobranch Laboratory, Biosciences Institute, Sao Paulo State University, Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/n, Parque Bitarú, São Vicente, SP, CEP 11380-972, Brazil.

F Corresponding author. Email: fcaltabellotta@ufl.edu

Marine and Freshwater Research - https://doi.org/10.1071/MF19370
Submitted: 27 November 2019  Accepted: 6 July 2020   Published online: 20 August 2020

Abstract

Owing to poorly mineralising structures, ageing deep-water elasmobranchs requires unconventional techniques. The aim of the present study was to develop an ageing method for the goblin shark Mitsukurina owstoni (Jordan, 1898) using Alcian blue staining of the vertebral column. One vertebral centrum from a male individual measuring 315.2-cm total length (TL) was aged with a minimum age of 27 years. Using a Bayesian von Bertalanffy growth model informed by back-calculated length at age, a literature search of maximum male TL, the TL of the smallest free-swimming individuals and informative priors, we estimated males grow to 374 cm TL, mature at 16 years and live up to 60 years. Our results provide useful life history information, with the aim of elucidating the cryptic biology of this deep-water shark.

Keywords: Bayesian age–growth, deep-water elasmobranchs, goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni.


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