Abstract
Abstract The ability to determine the age of fish precisely is essential to understanding the structure and dynamics of fish populations. The goal of this study was to compare three hard structures (scales, otoliths, and dorsal fin spines) for estimating the ages of yellow perch Perca flavescens in an unexploited population in a sanctuary of Pymatuning Reservoir, Pennsylvania. Scales, dorsal fin spines, and sagittal otoliths were removed from 107 yellow perch, prepared, and examined by two independent readers. Ages assigned by the two independent readers agreed 96% of the time when using otoliths, 83% when using scales, and 80% when using spines. Pairwise comparisons (paired t-tests, α = 0.05) indicated no significant differences among the ages assigned using the three methods. Otoliths were the best structure to use for estimating yellow perch age based on high reader agreement and low coefficient of variation (CV). However, we found that scales and dorsal fin spines can be used to adequately describe th...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
