The record of daily growth in otoliths of Atlantic silversides, Menidia menidia, from field and laboratory

Abstract

Otoliths were removed from fieldcollected silversides of age less than 3 months. Otolith diameter was highly correlated with total length of the fish. Daily growth ring counts for this species are known to be a function of age rather than size, so widths for the daily growth rings provide a record of daily increases in length of the fish. Measurement of ring widths showed that weekly specific growth rate was greater than 70% at age 1 week, but declined to about 30% at age 1 month and about 15% at age 2 months. A laboratory experiment in which temperature was changed on a weekly basis demonstrated that environmental variables can affect the width of rings. Nevertheless, the growth rate of field-collected fish, as calculated from otolith ring widths, was more highly correlated with size of fish. as measured by otolith radius, than with the environmental variables of temperature, salinity and plankton abundance. Back-calculation of growth rates from otolith ring widths of five fish collected at the end of the growing season yielded the same age-growth curves as were obtained from 203 fish collected biweekly during the season.

Validation of daily increments deposition in the otoliths of European anchovy larvae (Engraulis encrasicolus L.) reared under different temperature conditions

“…For the same SL fish growing at lower temperatures have smaller otoliths. Similar results were also obtained by several authors for other species (Barkman and Bengtson, 1987;Mosegaard et al, 1988;Fitzhugh et al, 1997;Otterlei et al, 2002;Folkvord et al, 2004;Fey, 2006). Somatic growth has often an optimal rate below the maximum temperature tolerance point (Webb, 1978).…”

Growth and nutritional condition of the larvae of Odontesthes microlepidotus (Atherinidae): an experimental approach

“…Due to their small sizes, the sagittae were extracted with a pair of fine needles, positioned with the concave side up and covered with a drop of polystyrene solution . In light of the results of Barkman (1978) and Barkman & Bengtson (1987) for the silverside Menidia menidia, our own results for O. microlepidotus (Cussac et al 1992), and the criteria exposed by Campana & Neilson (1985), two approaches were taken: otolith rings were counted with a light microscope (1000 X) and the larger otolith diameter (OD) containing the excisura (Pannella 1980) was measured with a calibrated eyepiece . Data were analysed in relation to days after fertilization (DAF) and SL .…”

Validating Back‐Calculation Models Using Population Data

“…This species is an important prey item for many recreationally and commercially valuable fishes, such as Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix, Striped Bass Morone saxatilis, and Summer Flounder Paralichthys dentatus (Buckel et al 1999;Manderson et al 2000;Rudershausen et al 2005), and it faces high mortality from both predation and overwinter starvation (Munch et al 2003). Silversides are easily cultured in the laboratory, making it possible to obtain precise estimates of their size distributions through time; daily increment formation has previously been validated (Barkman and Bengtson 1987).…”