Comparison of Otolith and Scale Age Characteristics for Black Crappies Collected from South Dakota Waters

Abstract

Abstract Scales and otoliths (sagittae) were collected from black crappies Pomoxis nigromaculatus sampled during the spring of 1991 in Red Plum Reservoir and Roy Lake, South Dakota. Red Plum Reservoir contained a slow-growing black crappie population, whereas Roy Lake had a fast-growing population. Annuli in scales and otoliths were identified independently by three readers. Within-structure (i.e., among-reader) and between-structure agreements in both population samples were 94% or greater for both scales and otoliths from fish of all ages. Our results indicated that for black crappies from South Dakota waters, precision of ages determined from scales and otoliths was similar.