New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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AGE AND GROWTH OF THE ELEPHANT FISH. CALLORHINCHUS MILII (ELASMOBRANCHII: CALLORHYNCHIDAE)

K. J. Sullivan

Fisheries Research Division,
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries,
P.O. Box 19-062, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract A method of aging the elephant fish Callorhinchus milii Bory de St Vincent 1823, is described. Alternating light and dark layers, seen in cross-sections of the dorsal spine, are assumed to be laid down annually as in other fish. Ages obtained from spine sections are identical with ages obtained from interpretation of modal peaks in the length-frequency graphs. Males mature at 3 y old, at approximately 50 cm fork length; females at 4.5 y old and 70 cm. The significance of this in relation to the New Zealand fishery for elephant fish is discussed.

N.Z. Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 11 (4) : 745-53.
Received 11 November 1976; revision received 2 June 1977. Fisheries Research. Division Publication. 316.

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (961K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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