Age determination in the channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus using pectoral spines: a technical report

Phillip Joschka Haubrock, Ivan Fribbi, Paride Balzani, Iva Johovic, Nathan Jay Baker, Alberto Francesco Inghilesi, Elena Tricarico, Annamaria Nocita

FiSHMED 2018.003: 13p

Abstract : The impacts of non-native species might be noticeable years after their initial introduction. Determining the age of a recently established non-native fish population can be important to identify the year of its introduction. Although well-established, the accuracy and reproducibility of age determination techniques are not often discussed. In this manuscript, we propose a standardised method for the determination of age in scale-less fishes. We use the channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus as a model species and we highlight the importance of the pectoral spine section location to produce accurate age determinations. Our results show that decalcification is not neces-sarily needed and that cuts to the basal section of the spine shaft produce the clearest and most reliable results.

Keywords : pectoral spine section location, annuli, population assessment, age determination, scale-less fish

Citation : Haubrock PJ, Fribbi I, Balzani P, Johovic I, Baker NJ, Inghilesi, AF, Tricarico E, Nocita A (2018) Age determination in the channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus using pectoral spines: a technical report. Fishes in Mediterranean Environments 2018.003: 13p. https://doi.org/10.29094/FiSHMED.2018.003

Article first published online : 26 January 2019

FiSHMED is an international scientific journal edited by 
the Iberian Society of Ichthyology – SIBIC