Owen Hamel¹, Melissa Haltuch¹, and Jason Cope^1
1Northwest Fisheries Science Center
October 28, 2014

Because growth patterns of many west coast groundfishes limit the informational value of length data, fish ages are very important inputs to our age-structured stock assessments. At the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, we conduct a variety of ageing studies, and we review three recent avenues of research: age validation, alternative ageing methods, and understanding ageing error. Age validation: We developed the first bomb radiocarbon reference chronology for the California Current, using known-age petrale sole (Eopsetta jordani). Petrale sole spend a substantial portion of their first year of life in areas subject to variable upwelling. This variable environment illustrates the importance of using reference curves for age validation that are region- and species-specific, whenever possible. Alternative ageing methods: Traditional age-reading methods are time-consuming for long-lived species. Based on initial success with two groundfishes, we explore the use of otolith weights for rapid age determination of long-lived groundfishes. We also explore the consistency of these relationships over time and space. Ageing error: The Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) stock is characterized by infrequent, strong year-classes, surrounded by average and below-average cohorts. Ageing is conducted annually, such that readers routinely know the year of collection. Ageing error is typically assumed to be largely consistent across years in stock assessments, however, we hypothesized that readers are more likely to assign uncertain hake reads to predominant ages. We conducted a double-blind study wherein previously read otoliths from many years were reread without readers knowing the collection year. Results confirmed that strong year classes experienced less effective ageing error in the regular course of ageing otoliths. Accounting for this tendency improved model fits to age data. Each of these research avenues has improved our understanding and is enabling us to develop more reliable population models and management guidance.