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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 58(10)

Validation of age and growth in a long-lived temperate reef fish using otolith structure, oxytetracycline and bomb radiocarbon methods

Graeme P. Ewing A E , Jeremy M. Lyle A , Raymond J. Murphy A B , John M. Kalish C D and Philippe E. Ziegler A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Marine Research Laboratories, Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 49, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.

B Present address: Resource Planning and Development Commission, GPO Box 1691, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.

C Division of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.

D Present address: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, GPO Box 858, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

E Corresponding author. Email: graeme.ewing@utas.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 58(10) 944-955 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF07032
Submitted: 15 February 2007  Accepted: 17 September 2007   Published: 30 October 2007

Abstract

Generating age estimates for long-lived fish requires particular attention to validation because they are usually difficult to age owing to narrow increment structure. A robust validation of the accuracy and precision of banded morwong, Cheilodactylus spectabilis, sampled from Tasmanian waters, was undertaken. Age at the first enumerated increment was established from analysis of juvenile cohorts, and the timing and periodicity of increment formation was established using a quantitative model from oxytetracycline (OTC) mark-recaptures at liberty for periods of up to 8 years. The accuracy of age estimates was examined independently by comparing radiocarbon values in the otolith region corresponding to the first year of growth against the south-western Pacific calibration curve. C. spectabilis is very long-lived, with males and females living to over 90 years of age. Growth modelling revealed a fast initial growth phase, terminating in an abrupt plateau near the asymptotic length. This species displays substantial sexual dimorphism in growth, with males growing to larger sizes than females.

Additional keywords: cheilodactylidae, longevity.


Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Brett Wolf for providing access to samples of recently settled fish and the various research staff, including Tim Debnam and Sean Tracey, who assisted with the collection and processing of otoliths. Commercial fishers, in particular Mark Cuthbertson, who assisted with sampling and willingly provided information on recaptures are gratefully acknowledged. We are particularly grateful for the improvement of the manuscript by the referee A. H. Andrews and two anonymous referees. The present study was assisted with funding provided by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Projects 93/109 and 95/145.


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