Age is fundamental to population ecology and fisheries science. Age-structured stock assessments rely on accurate and precise estimates of age to estimate stock status and sustainable exploitation rates. Historically, age has been estimated by microscopic examination of growth zones in hard parts (e.g. – otoliths, scales, vertebrae) with the assumption that these counts correspond to annual or daily age. Recently, there has been a marked increase in research investigating alternative methods of age estimation and novel methods to quantify ageing imprecision and bias. Resulting improvements in time and/or cost efficiencies, as well as the potential for non-lethal approaches, may spur a paradigm shift in how age is estimated while advancements in validation serve to reduce the uncertainty inherent in that process. This session will focus on novel applications of age estimation and validation tools, alternative applications of these tools, modeling approaches, and the quantification of ageing error.
Organizer: Derek Chamberlin, NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, [email protected]
Co-organizers: Thomas Helser, Kristen Dahl
Supported by: NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center