An Age- and Temperature-Mediated Growth Model for Cod ( Gadus morhua) and Haddock ( Melanogrammus aeglefinus) Larvae in the Gulf of Maine
While field studies of larval fish growth require an easily parameterized growth model, simple relationships between size and age are seldom applicable to other populations and/or environments. The model presented here attempts to bridge the gap between simple age–length regressions and more sophist...
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1989
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f89-077 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f89-077 |
| Summary: | While field studies of larval fish growth require an easily parameterized growth model, simple relationships between size and age are seldom applicable to other populations and/or environments. The model presented here attempts to bridge the gap between simple age–length regressions and more sophisticated experiment-based models by incorporating a temperature term as a function of absolute growth rate. Growth is assumed to be logistic, with temperature influencing growth rate parabolically on a daily basis. The integrated form of the model provides an estimate of length-at-age of the larva. When fitted to a variety of independent cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) data sets collected in the Gulf of Maine, the model performed with minimal bias despite the absence of a food availability term. Larval age data were generated through validated otolith microstructure examinations, although the resolution limits of light microscopy introduced a small degree of bias (2–3 d) into the estimates. The daily temperature record was generated from a sinusoidal model using monthly mean temperatures. Since otolith microstructure examination and remote sensing of temperature are established techniques, this model may prove useful in other larval studies. |
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