Validation of Daily Increment Formation in the Otoliths of Juvenile Silver Perch, Bairdiella chrysoura

Abstract

Otoliths of juvenile silver perch were marked by immersing live fish for 3 h in a calcein-seawater solution. Calcein produced a fluorescent mark on the sagittal otoliths that was visible under ultraviolet light. The hypothesis of one increment per day was tested by regressing the number of otolith increments that formed after marking on the number of days that fish were held in lab and field experiments. Silver perch formed one increment per day under nearly all conditions. Salinity (15‰ or 30‰) and dietary ration (4% or 10% body weight d−1) were varied among experimental groups of lab-reared fish. The short-term effect of low rations appears primarily as interrupted formation of otolith increments: fish fed 10% body weight d−1 formed one increment per day but fish fed 4% d−1 averaged less than one increment d−1. Reduction in increment formation occurred despite no significant difference in average width of otolith increments or apparent condition of silver perch over the 20-d experiment. Salinity effects were difficult to interpret: salinity interacted with ration to modify increment formation but did not independently alter the daily rate of increment formation. This novel interaction among ration and salinity is not well understood and warrants additional study. In silver perch, otolith growth appears responsive and sensitive to local environmental conditions. This responsiveness confirms the need for validation of increment formation across the range of environmental conditions that fish are likely to encounter. It also suggests that otolith structure may contain detailed information about the life history of individual silver perch.