Estimation of age and growth of juvenile hakes (Merluccius merluccius Linneaus, 1758) of the Bay of Biscay and Great Sole by means of the analysis of macro and microstructure of the otoliths

Modeling the growth of recruits of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea with generalized additive models

“…Results from the present study are consistent with the main findings of recent studies on juvenile European hake growth in both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, which indicate a fast growth rate of about 0.6 mm day -1 during the first year of life (Morales-Nin and Moranta, 2004;Kacher and Amara, 2005;Belcari et al, 2006;Otxotorena et al, 2010). Also, the results of back-calculations of birth dates are in agreement with the available knowledge on spawning and recruitment of European hake in the western Mediterranean Sea (Maynou et al, 2003;Abella et al, 2005;Belcari et al, 2006;Recasens et al, 2008).…”

“…The use of annual rings on otoliths led to the assumption that the European hake grows slowly (Drouineau et al, 2010), but further studies on adult growth that have used tagging campaigns (de Pontual et al, 2003;Piñeiro et al, 2007) and analysis of otolith daily increments in juveniles (Arneri and MoralesNin, 2000;Morales-Nin and Moranta, 2004;Kacher andAmara, 2005, Belcari et al, 2006;Piñeiro et al, 2008;Otxotorena et al, 2010) have revealed that the growth rate is probably much faster than previously thought.…”

Age estimation of juvenile European hake Merluccius merluccius based on otolith microstructure analysis: a slow or fast growth pattern?

“…The left and right sagittae during early development are not symmetrical either in size or shape due to the different number and size of accessory primordia (Arneri & Morales‐Nin, ). When specimens with greater lengths ( L T : 13·1–82·1 cm) were used in otolith morphometric analyses, however, no differences in size parameters between left and right otolith were found (Otxotorena et al, ). This means that either of the otoliths can be used in studies for the estimation of age and growth in M. merluccius .…”

“…The daily periodicity of microincrement formation was validated indirectly in larvae and juveniles from the Adriatic Sea (Arneri & Morales‐Nin, ) and directly in a hatchery‐reared M. merluccius (Morales‐Nin et al, ). Since then, this method has been adopted by several scientists and provided important results on the estimation of juvenile growth rates and the determination of total length ( L T ) corresponding to the first year of life of M. merluccius in the eastern Atlantic Ocean (Kacher & Amara, ; Piñeiro et al , ; Otxotorena et al , ) and the western Mediterranean Sea (Belcari et al, ). Recently, tagging and recapture experiments supported the fast growth hypothesis with direct evidence for individuals with L T ranging between 16 and 67 cm (de Pontual et al, , ; Piñeiro et al , ; Mellon‐Duval et al , ).…”

Testing an otolith geochemistry approach to determine population structure and movements of European hake in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

“…Adult hake spawn offshore around the continental shelf break and juveniles are usually found closer to the coast (Kacher and Amara, 2005). The species supports important commercial fisheries throughout its distribution range and is especially important for Spanish and French fishing fleets due to its high market value (Otxotorena et al, 2010).…”