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Age estimation of billfishes (Kajikia spp.) using fin spine cross-sections: the need for an international code of practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 October 2009

R. Keller Kopf ,
Katherine Drew  and
Robert L. Humphreys Jr.
R. Keller Kopf
Affiliation:
Charles Sturt University, School of Environmental Sciences, PO Box 789, Albury NSW 2640, Australia
Katherine Drew
Affiliation:
University of Miami RSMAS, Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami, FL 33149, USA
Robert L. Humphreys Jr.
Affiliation:
NOAA Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Aiea Heights Research Facility, 99-193 Aiea Heights Drive, Suite 417, Aiea, Hawaii 96701, USA
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Abstract

Fin spine ageing is the most common technique used to estimate age and growth parameters of large pelagic billfishes from the families Istiophoridae and Xiphiidae. The most suitable methods for processing and interpreting these calcified structures for age estimation have not been clearly defined. Methodological differences between unvalidated ageing studies are of particular concern for highly migratory species because multiple researchers in different regions of the world may conduct age estimates on the same species or stock. This review provides a critical overview of the methods used in previous fin spine ageing studies on billfishes and provides recommendations towards the development of a standardized protocol for estimating the age of striped marlin, Kajikia audax and white marlin, Kajikia albida. Three on-going fin spine ageing studies from Australia, Hawaii, and Florida are used to illustrate some of the considerations and difficulties encountered when developing an ageing protocol for highly migratory fish species. Particular areas of concern that may influence age and growth estimates included differences in fin spine selection, sectioning methods, criteria for identifying and measuring annuli, distinguishing false annuli, validation procedures, identification of the first annulus, and methods used to replace annuli lost due to vascularization of the fin spine core.

Keywords

Age determinationSclerochronologyGrowthPopulation dynamicsMarlinTuna longline fisheries
Type
Research Article
Information
Aquatic Living Resources , Volume 23 , Issue 1 , January 2010 , pp. 13 - 23
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD, 2009

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