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Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Novel method for shark age estimation using near infrared spectroscopy

C. L. Rigby A C , B. B. Wedding B , S. Grauf B and C. A. Simpfendorfer A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture & College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia.

B Rapid Assessment Unit, Innovative Food Technology, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry and James Cook University, PO Box 6811, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: cassandra.rigby@my.jcu.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 67(5) 537-545 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF15104
Submitted: 10 March 2015  Accepted: 22 May 2015   Published: 21 July 2015

Abstract

Accurate age determination is an important component of assessing and managing fish populations, yet traditional ageing using growth bands is time-consuming and has limitations. In the present study, an alternative approach to shark age estimation using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was investigated using two species. The ages of Sphyrna mokarran and Carcharhinus sorrah vertebrae that had been traditionally aged and validated were successfully predicted up to 10 years of age using NIRS. The correlations between the known ages of the vertebrae and their near infrared spectra were strong, with R2 values of 0.89 and 0.84 for S. mokarran and C. sorrah respectively. The major advantage of the NIRS ageing approach was the rapid speed of age estimation, which could enable large numbers of sharks to be aged quickly. This would offer the fisheries management benefit of improving the reliability of age information for stock and risk assessments.

Additional keywords: Carcharhinus sorrah, Sphyrna mokarran, vertebrae.


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