The utility of near infrared spectroscopy for age estimation of deepwater sharks

Rigby, Cassandra L., Wedding, Brett B., Grauf, Steve, and Simpfendorfer, Colin A. (2014) The utility of near infrared spectroscopy for age estimation of deepwater sharks. Deep-sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 94. pp. 184-194.

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Abstract

Reliable age information is vital for effective fisheries management, yet age determinations are absent for many deepwater sharks as they cannot be aged using traditional methods of growth bands counts. An alternative approach to ageing using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was investigated using dorsal fin spines, vertebrae and fin clips of three species of deepwater sharks. Ages were successfully estimated for the two dogfish, Squalus megalops and Squalus montalbani, and NIRS spectra were correlated with body size in the catshark, Asymbolus pallidus. Correlations between estimated-ages of the dogfish dorsal fin spines and their NIRS spectra were good, with S. megalops R^2=0.82 and S. montalbani R^2=0.73. NIRS spectra from S. megalops vertebrae and fin clips that have no visible growth bands were correlated with estimated-ages, with R^2=0.89 and 0.76, respectively. NIRS has the capacity to non-lethally estimate ages from fin spines and fin clips, and thus could significantly reduce the numbers of sharks that need to be lethally sampled for ageing studies. The detection of ageing materials by NIRS in poorly calcified deepwater shark vertebrae could potentially enable ageing of this group of sharks that are vulnerable to exploitation.

Item ID: 37060
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1879-0119
Keywords: shark ageing, near infrared spectroscopy, deepwater, vertebrae, dorsal fin spine, fin clips, nonlethal
Funders: Oceania Chondrichthyan Society, Passions of Paradise Student Research Award
Date Deposited: 07 Jan 2015 08:05
FoR Codes: 06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0608 Zoology > 060809 Vertebrate Biology @ 100%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960808 Marine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity @ 100%
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