Age and growth in southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau): Direct estimation from otoliths, scales and vertebrae

Abstract In the early 1990s, the spawning biomass of the southern bluefin tuna (SBT) population was estimated to be less than 10% of its historical level. However, major uncertainties surrounding the age composition of the catch confounded the virtual population analysis assessment models. To eliminate these uncertainties, validated estimates of the age composition of the catch were required. We examined scales, caudal vertebrae and sagittal otoliths to determine which structure produced the most accurate age estimates in SBT. Scales proved useful for estimating ages of SBT only up to 4 years. Marginal increment analysis verified that the zones of dense circuli visible on the scales were deposited annually up to this age. In larger fish, the compression of circuli on the margin of scales and high incidence of regenerated scales made estimation of age very difficult. Obvious increments were present on both the vertebrae and otoliths. Age estimates from the two structures matched closely for the first 10 years of life. However, in larger (older) fish the counts diverged, otoliths consistently providing higher age estimates. We determined that annual increments are formed on sagittal otoliths throughout life but that this is not the case in vertebrae, where bands are formed less frequently. Thus, vertebrae were unreliable for estimating age beyond 10 years, which corresponds approximately to the age-at-first maturity. Ages were estimated from otoliths of 1121 fish from throughout the species’ size range. These data indicate that SBT live to at least 40 years of age, twice the longevity previously accepted; that age at recruitment is 1 year, not 2; and that mean age-at-maturity is approximately 11 years, not 7. The age distribution of SBT catches by the Japanese longline fishery in the Tasman Sea indicate that a significant proportion of the SBT population in this area is over 25 years of age and that cohorts spawned in the late 1970s and early 1980s are markedly under-represented in the population. The latter is thought to result from intense exploitation on these cohorts by the Australian surface fishery soon after recruitment.