Comparisons of Herring Otoliths Using Fourier Series Shape Analysis

Abstract

Numeric analysis of otolith morphology provides vital information to commercial fisheries concerning the age distribution, racial origin, and, to some extent, the environmental history of fish stocks. Conventional methods used to retrieve these data, though proven to be effective, are time consuming, susceptible to ambiguous interpretations, and only semiquantitative. Fourier shape descriptors, when used to analyze outlines of otolith silhouettes, represent a rapid, objective, semiautomated means of obtaining much of this information. Analysis of Fourier shape information derived from otoliths of juvenile and adult Alaskan herring and adult Northwest Atlantic herring show that otolith shape reflects differences in fish age and fish race. The shape of otoliths of juvenile fish are significantly different from those of adult fish. Few shape differences can be found, though, between otoliths from adult fish of different age within the same stock. Distinct differences exist between Atlantic and Alaskan adult otolith shapes. For some stocks, minor shape differences occur between left and right otoliths. Differences in otolith shape arising from sexual dimorphism are not apparent.

Regional Differences in Otolith Morphology of the Deep Slope Red Snapper Etelis carbunculus

“…increasingly popular for their timekeeping properties. As Fourier series (Bird et al 1986;Gauldie and Nelson 1990;Castonguay et al 1991). scanning electron microscopy (Davies et al 1988;Gauldie et al 1990), and other methods make it increasingly feasible to discern differences in otolith shape and molecular structure, researchers have begun to point out a wide range of inter-and intrapopulational differences in otolith shape.…”

Otolith shape and size: The importance of age when determining indices for fish-stock separation

“…Elliptical Fourier descriptors are commonly used for class-separation by otolith boundary, and many studies use this method for stock discrimination (Bird et al 1986;Doering and Ludwig 1990;Castonguay et al 1991). successfully discriminate two populations of herring using selected elliptical Fourier coefficients.…”

Otolitos de peces del mediterráneo occidental y del atlántico central y nororiental

“…Yefanov and Khorevin, 1979;Messieh, et al, 1989;Lombarte and Castellón, 1991;Castonguay et al, 1991;Campana and Casselman, 1993;Friedland and Reddin, 1994;Torres et al, 2000;Tuset et al 2003aTuset et al , 2006; ecomorphology and functional hearing in fishes (e.g. Gauldie, 1988;Lombarte, 1992;Popper and Platt, 1993;Aguirre and Lombarte, 1999;Lychakov and Rebane, 2000;Ramcharitar et al, 2001Ramcharitar et al, , 2004Aguirre, 2003;Tuset et al, 2003b;Volpedo and Echevarria 2003;Cruz and Lombarte, 2004;Lychakov et al, 2006;Lombarte and Cruz, 2007); the relationship between fish growth and ageing (Bird et al, 1986;Lombarte and Morales-Nin, 1995;Morales-Nin and Panfili, 2002;Cardinale et al, 2004); and analogies between growth in recent otoliths and fossil otoliths (Woydack and Morales-Nin, 2001). …”