Sectioned or whole otoliths? A global review of hard structure preparation techniques used in ageing sparid fishes

Winkler, Alexander C.; Duncan, Murray I.; Farthing, MW; Potts, Warren M.

doi:10.1007/s11160-019-09571-1

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Coefficient of variation (CV, %) in the top left of each panel Table 4 Percent frequency of confidence scores assigned by two age-readers (Reader 1 and 2) to age estimates obtained from whole and transversely thin-sectioned otoliths, and thinsectioned otoliths and pelvic fin rays (Reader 1 only) using lake trout from Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada *Total n = does not equal to Table 1 Our conclusion that age of older lake trout cannot be estimated accurately from whole otoliths agrees with Campana et al (2008), who discussed how earlier studies likely underestimated lake trout ages using this method. Similar conclusions regarding whole versus sectioned otolith methods have been made for other long-lived species (Beamish 1979;Winkler et al 2019). Experienced readers in our study (Readers 1 and 2) clearly interpreted annuli differently toward the margin of whole otoliths for lake trout ≥ 35 years (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Age estimation comparison between whole and thin-sectioned otoliths and pelvic fin-ray sections of long-lived lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, from Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada

et al. 2021

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Studies to determine precision and bias of both methods and age-readers are important to evaluate reliability of age data used for developing fisheries management objectives. We assessed within-reader, between-reader, and between-method precision (coefficient of variation, CV%) and bias of age estimations for long-lived lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, from Great Bear Lake using three readers with different levels of experience. The assessment used independent age estimates (n = 3 per reader) from whole and transverse-sectioned otoliths (range = 1–67 years), and pelvic fin-ray sections (range = 3–26 years). We also examined between-method differences in assigned confidence scores. Within readers, age estimates from sectioned otoliths were more precise (2.6–3.0%) than whole (3.6–4.5%) otoliths. Between whole and sectioned otoliths, precision of age estimates was 5.4% and bias was low up to age 20. Age was typically under-estimated from whole otoliths compared to sections for fish ≥ 34 years. Increased reader confidence was correlated with greater precision and younger age estimates, particularly for whole otoliths, but less so for fin rays. Age was estimated with higher confidence from otolith sections than other methods. The least experienced reader estimated age with the lowest precision, and between-reader bias was evident among older ages. Age was consistently under-estimated and less precise from pelvic fins compared to sectioned otoliths, and are therefore an unsuitable non-lethal alternative. Sectioned otoliths revealed longevity was greater (67 years) than historically documented using whole otoliths (53 years) for these fish. Our findings contribute to those relying on otoliths or pelvic fin rays to estimate ages of long-lived lake trout populations, which are a key component of freshwater fauna in polar North America.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Age estimation comparison between whole and thin-sectioned otoliths and pelvic fin-ray sections of long-lived lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, from Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada

et al. 2021

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“…There are total of 31 sparid species in the Mediterranean Sea, which are known to be slow-growing and long-lived (Hanel and Tsigenopoulos, 2011) and susceptible to over-exploitation due to their commercial importance (Comeros-Raynal et al, 2016). Sparid fishes generally have relatively large and easily readable sagittal otoliths, and despite the wealth of literature denouncing the use of whole, unsectioned otoliths in growth studies on sparid fishes (see Winkler et al, 2019), age determination using whole otoliths is still common. According to the information available in Fish Base, the maximum age reported for sparids in the Mediterranean ranges from 5 to 36 years ( Table 2).…”

Section: Opportunities For Fish Growth Chronology Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Species from the families Sparidae and Lutjanidae have annual growth rings, that although thin, are clearly visible (Piddocke et al, 2015;Winkler et al, 2019), and represent the most promising target taxa for sclerochronology studies. Interesting target species of Sparidae include Dentex dentex, Diplodus cervinus, and Sparus aurata.…”

Section: Opportunities For Otolith Chemistry Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fish and Sclerochronology Research in the Mediterranean: Challenges and Opportunities for Reconstructing Environmental Changes

et al. 2020

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Over the past two decades, the field of sclerochronology has been rapidly developing, with scientists devoting significant efforts to studying the physical and chemical variations in hard tissues of aquatic organisms. Most of this research has been limited to certain taxa and geographic areas. Although growth increments in fish otoliths are used for sclerochronology purposes, relatively little has been done in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the literature, the chemical composition of otoliths from Mediterranean fish species has primarily been used for analyzing migration patterns, habitat use, and population structure of commercially important fish species. To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies on fish growth chronology construction conducted in the Mediterranean Sea. In order to identify the opportunities for sclerochronology research on fish from the Mediterranean, we used FishBase to identify potential candidate species with a sufficiently long lifespan and clearly defined growth increments for growth chronology construction and otolith chemistry research. We also present the challenges and limitations for sclerochronology research, including: (i) very few fish species in the Mediterranean Sea have a longevity of several decades; (ii) issues associated with reliable age determination for certain long-lived fish species; (iii) a general lack of understanding and effort to constructed and manage otolith collections; and (iv) limitations imposed by the availability of funding, expertise, and instrumentation. Despite these challenges, fish sclerochronology research has strong potential in the Mediterranean and adjacent seas. Recent studies in the Adriatic Sea have resulted in the construction of bivalve chronologies and the geochemical analysis of shells, providing important time-series data for comparative analysis and a multispecies approach. Furthermore, studies conducted in other parts of the world have demonstrated great potential for the use of fish otoliths in monitoring environmental variability and the effects of pollutants and disturbance.

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“…The periodicity of these concentric rings may be related to daily, seasonal or annual cycles and are thought to occur as a result of changes in many factors, including photoperiod, temperature, seasonal feeding and growth rates (Radtke and Shafer 1992;Secor et al 1995;Chang and Geffen 2013). In many species, an otolith is age estimated by blocking it in resin, cutting a thin section (,250-500 mm), and then the section is mounted on a microscope slide for viewing under a microscope (Secor et al 1992;Winkler et al 2019). Although this approach is currently the most accepted method, it requires practice and experience to obtain accurate age estimates, is labour intensive, time consuming and expensive.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age estimation of barramundi (

Wright¹,

Wedding²,

Grauf³

et al. 2021

Mar. Freshwater Res.

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The age of whole otoliths from barramundi (Lates calcarifer) obtained from the southern Gulf of Carpentaria were estimated using Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy. Otoliths from 1716 barramundi collected in 2006, 2009 and 2012-2015 were used in this study. Partial least-squares regression models (PLS-R) and multiple linear regression models (MLR) were developed from the diffuse reflectance spectra and the age was obtained from traditional sectioned otoliths. Calibration models were built up over consecutive years (2012)(2013)(2014)(2015) by using a subset of the samples and used to predict the age of the remaining samples and samples from the following year. Results suggest that when seasonal (temporal) variability is incorporated into the calibration model, FT-NIR has the ability to predict barramundi age (validation R 2 ranged from 0.73 to 0.78; RMSEP ranged from 6.92 to 7.64 months). The predicted age class was within 1 year of the reference age in over 96% of the samples. These models were also able to predict the age of otoliths from 2006 and 2009, which were retrieved from long-term storage (validation R 2 ranged from 0.77 to 0.84; RMSEP ranged from 8.66 to 10.88 months). The results from this study have shown the potential for barramundi from the southern Gulf of Carpentaria to be aged quickly and accurately by using FT-NIR.

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Sectioned or whole otoliths? A global review of hard structure preparation techniques used in ageing sparid fishes

Cited by 12 publications

References 30 publications

Age estimation comparison between whole and thin-sectioned otoliths and pelvic fin-ray sections of long-lived lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, from Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada

Age estimation comparison between whole and thin-sectioned otoliths and pelvic fin-ray sections of long-lived lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, from Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada

Fish and Sclerochronology Research in the Mediterranean: Challenges and Opportunities for Reconstructing Environmental Changes

Age estimation of barramundi (

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