Abstract
The earliest example of using earbones or otoliths to provide estimates of fish ages dates back to at least 1899 (Reibisch, cited in Jones 1992). Back-calculation to reconstruct growth patterns from hard parts of fish (otoliths, bones and scales) followed soon after (Lea 1910). The approach involves using measurements made on these bony structures to infer, or back-calculate, body length at ages prior to capture. Back-calculation has been used to generate individual growth histories of fishes for almost a century (Francis 1990) and has proved to be an invaluable tool for fisheries scientists and fish ecologists.
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Vigliola, L., Meekan, M.G. (2009). The Back-Calculation of Fish Growth From Otoliths. In: Green, B.S., Mapstone, B.D., Carlos, G., Begg, G.A. (eds) Tropical Fish Otoliths: Information for Assessment, Management and Ecology. Reviews: Methods and Technologies in Fish Biology and Fisheries, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5775-5_6
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