Read Fish Aging 101 and answer the following questions.
- Describe why estimating the age of fish is important.
- What are four common “bony structures” used to estimate the age of fishes? When is each used or what are the relative advantages or disadvantages of using each structure?
- Briefly explain methods for how the four structures may be prepared so that age can be estimated.
- How many “times” is each “bony structure” typically “read”?
Watch How Old is a Fish? and answer the following questions. [This is from a children’s show but the information is quite good. I would only watch from 1:30 to 8:00.]
- What was the age and species of the oldest fish recorded in the Alaska lab?
Read Determining the Age of Fish and answer the following questions.
- What is the formula used to estimate the length of the fish at some previous age (based on the current length of the fish and measurements made on the scale)?