Age and growth of high Antarctic notothenioid fish

Abstract

Available literature data on age and growth of high Antarctic fish is reviewed and discussed in relation to environmental seasonality. Except for Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni, with maximum total length (TL) more than 170 cm, high Antarctic notothenioids are predominantly small species of less than 45 cm TL. Maximum ages reported for small Trematomus species were generally high (18–23 years), and probably comparable to those of some larger channichthyids. Highest longevity is attained by large nototheniids, such as Aethotaxis mitopteryx and D. mawsoni, of more than 30 years. Most high Antarctic fish spawn for the first time at 50–80% of maximum age. Males of some Trematomus species reach spawning maturity earlier than females, but at a higher percentage of maximum age. Pauly's index of growth performance P has been used to compare growth. P for nototheniids is typically between 1 and 2, whereas in channichthyids it is between 2 and 3. Generally, high Antarctic notothenioids exhibit a lower P than those further north. In high Antarctic nototheniids, between 19 and 42 cm maximum theoretical length, growth performance seems to increase from pelagic to benthic fish habit. Thus, although low temperature is a constraint on growth, other ecological factors linked to life style, such as food availability and physiological adaptations, may explain differences in growth performance between fish from the seasonal pack-ice zone and the high Antarctic zone.