Age and growth estimates for the smooth skate, Malacoraja senta, in the Gulf of Maine

Abstract

Age and growth estimates for the smooth skate, Malacoraja senta, were derived from 306 vertebral centra from skates caught in the North Atlantic off the coast of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, USA. Males and females were aged to 15 and 14 years, respectively. Male and female growth diverged at both ends of the data range and the sexes required different growth functions to describe them. Males followed a traditional growth scenario and were best described by a von Bertalanffy curve with a set L o (11 cm TL) where L inf = 75.4 cm TL, K = 0.12. Females required the use of back-calculated values to account for a lack of small individuals, using these data they were best described by a von Bertalanffy curve where growth parameters derived from vertebral length-at-age data are L inf = 69.6 cm TL, K = 0.12, and L o = 10.KeywordsVertebraSkateAge