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Age and Growth Program

REFM Home

Age and Growth

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Species Aged

Procedures

Break and Burn

Thin Sectioning

Ageing Demo

Quality Control

Statistics

Ageing Methods

Production

Precision

Max Age

Otolith Database

Age Requests

Validation

Resources

Recent Publications

Highlighted Species

Pollock

Pacific Cod

Skates

Shortraker rockfish

Maximum Age Encountered

Scientific name

Common Name

Max Age (years)

Natural Mortality (per year)

Sample size

Flatfish

Kamchatka flounder

0.13*

120

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	1991	21	199110	32	85	33
Survey	1991	21	199110	46	91	30
Survey	1991	21	199110	113	69	13
Survey	1991	21	199110	90	66	13
Survey	1991	21	199110	94	61	13

Arrowtooth flounder

0.17

9,761

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	2003	134	200301	164	78	25
Survey	2002	21	200201	109	62	25
Survey	2003	134	200301	204	80	24
Survey	2002	21	200201	271	58	24
Survey	2001	94	200101	542	80	23

Rex sole

0.14*

2,079

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Special	2001	57	101	482	42	29
Special	2001	94	101	433	42	28
Survey	1996	23	199601	359	51	27
Survey	1984	58	198401	154	42	27
Special	2001	94	101	455	47	27

Flathead sole

0.13

10,250

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Observer	2005	A057	9910	289256	47	32
Observer	2001	A066	7012	21450	51	31
Survey	2005	88	200501	425	50	29
Survey	2005	88	200501	431	48	29
Survey	2004	88	200401	32	38	29

Bering flounder

0.14*

241

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	2006	134	200601	72	38	29
Survey	1985	60	198501	78	40	28
Survey	2006	88	200601	1	45	26
Survey	2006	134	200601	76	40	25
Survey	2006	88	200601	127	39	25

Southern rock sole

0.17*

482

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	1999	23	199901	288	40	25
Survey	1999	23	199901	126	33	25
Survey	1999	23	199901	111	46	25
Survey	1999	23	199901	145	43	25
Survey	1999	23	199901	60	44	25

Northern rock sole

0.15

8,560

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	2003	88	200301	150	40	27
Survey	2000	89	200001	224	45	27
Survey	1998	88	199801	27	41	26
Survey	2004	88	200401	392	37	25
Survey	2005	88	200501	357	40	25

Yellowfin sole

0.11

21,644

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Observer	2005	A283	9869	291901	35	39
Observer	2002	A276	8033	140959	34	37
Survey	2006	134	200601	201	44	37
Survey	2006	88	200601	140	32	36
Survey	1996	88	199601	132	37	36

Dover sole

0.08*

3,601

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	2005	134	200501	411	45	54
Survey	2005	134	200501	459	50	53
Survey	2005	134	200501	10	49	53
Survey	2005	134	200501	103	37	53
Survey	1999	57	199901	137	47	53

Rock sole, unidentified

0.14

7,906

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	1991	37	199101	260	45	30
Survey	1996	94	199601	65	44	28
Survey	1990	37	199001	137	42	26
Observer	1992	A096	1479	76	41	26
Survey	1996	94	199601	228	37	25

Alaska plaice

0.11*

3,679

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	2002	89	200201	441	51	37
Survey	2005	89	200501	339	50	37
Survey	2005	89	200501	301	38	36
Observer	2002	A069	7473	97633	38	35
Survey	2002	89	200201	403	51	35

Rockfish

Rougheye rockfish

132

0.03

7,234

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	1993	21	199309	15	60	132
Survey	1993	21	199309	17	54	130
Survey	1999	94	199901	614	59	129
Survey	2004	143	200401	14	63	121
Survey	1993	21	199309	8	58	121

Pacific ocean perch

104

0.04

26,860

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	2004	143	200401	907	39	104
Survey	2000	94	200001	426	39	100
Survey	2002	57	200202	162	43	98
Survey	1994	95	199401	479	40	93
Survey	1994	95	199401	758	43	92

Dark rockfish

0.06*

1,881

Collection Type	Year Collected	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Special	2002	287	41	67
Special	2002	346	42	67
Special	2002	311	43	61
Special	2001	297	43	60
Special	2002	150	40	56

Northern rockfish

0.05

11,994

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Observer	2004	A068	9223	57763	41	88
Observer	2000	A110	6292	194	39	80
Observer	2004	A276	9251	220196	35	79
Observer	2003	A650	8742	179069	49	76
Survey	1997	94	199701	267	36	72

Dusky rockfish

0.05*

4,692

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Observer	2004	A108	9222	232713	51	76
Survey	2003	147	200301	54	41	60
Survey	2001	94	200101	25	47	56
Survey	2005	134	200501	1	42	52
Survey	1996	23	199601	316	49	51

Harlequin rockfish

0.09*

647

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	1996	94	199601	106	28	47
Survey	1996	100	199601	106	27	41
Survey	1996	23	199601	150	34	41
Survey	1996	23	199601	152	33	37
Survey	1996	100	199601	69	29	37

Sharpchin rockfish

0.09*

570

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	1996	94	199601	182	29	48
Survey	1996	94	199601	159	35	48
Survey	1996	100	199601	177	27	43
Survey	1996	94	199601	36	28	39
Survey	1996	100	199601	244	36	39

Round Fish

Sablefish

0.04

35,938

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	1989	523	198901	162	77	94
Observer	2003	A580	8324	161808	102	73
Survey	1993	518	199301	2738	96	70
Survey	2000	96	200001	73	70	69
Survey	1999	81	199902	95	62	68

Pacific cod

0.30

14,647

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	2005	89	200501	248	96	14
Survey	2005	143	200501	10	71	14
Survey	2003	88	200301	500	89	14
FIT Survey	2005	SF	200501	265	111	14
FIT Survey	2005	SF	200501	57	110	13

Pacific hake

0.17

50,929

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	1995	21	199510	2733	47	25
Observer	1996	201	Unavailable	53	48	24
Observer	1997	A291	4458	465	51	24
Observer	1997	A291	4458	197	60	24
Observer	1999	24	1	608	60	23

Great sculpin

0.26*

403

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Survey	2005	88	200501	95	78	16
Survey	2005	89	200501	5	71	16
Survey	2005	89	200501	10	78	15
Survey	2005	88	200501	120	75	15
Survey	2005	88	200501	145	54	15

Atka mackerel

0.30

22,786

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Observer	1994	A009	2797	145	46	14
Survey	2000	23	200001	276	44	14
Survey	2000	23	200001	5	48	14
Survey	1994	94	199401	44	47	13
Observer	1990	A117	323	78	44	13

Walleye pollock

0.13

210,093

Collection Type	Year Collected	Vessel Code	Cruise	Specimen #	Length (cm)	Age
Observer	1990	A055	209	326	58	31
Survey	1989	522	198901	33	52	27
Survey	1991	706	199103	706	79	26
Survey	1990	758	199001	109	58	26
Survey	1991	21	199101	790	53	25

Data as of 2006

*Sample sizes are probably insufficient to establish max age and natural mortality rate estimates for these species.

  Before using any data from our website please read our disclaimer.

  Click on a fishes scientific name to see the five oldest samples. Click on it again to hide this information.

  Maximum age data is from ages generated between 1990 and 2006 except Pacific cod, which is limited to collections read after 2000.

  Natural mortality (M) is estimated using the method outlined by Hoenig (1983) (full article PDF) which uses maximum age to estimate instantaneous mortality.

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