Login | Request Account (DAF staff only)

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

View Altmetrics

Rigby, C. L., Wedding, B. B., Grauf, S. and Simpfendorfer, C. 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. ISSN 0967-0637

Full text not currently attached. Access may be available via the Publisher's website or OpenAccess link.

Article Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2014.09.004

Publisher URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967063714001794

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 R2=0.82 and S. montalbani R2=0.73. NIRS spectra from S. megalops vertebrae and fin clips that have no visible growth bands were correlated with estimated-ages, with R2=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 Type:Article
Business groups:Crop and Food Science
Keywords:Shark ageing Near infrared spectroscopy Deepwater Vertebrae Dorsal fin spine Fin clips Nonlethal
Subjects:Technology > Technology (General) > Spectroscopy > NIR (Near Infrared)
Aquaculture and Fisheries > Fisheries > Fishery research
Aquaculture and Fisheries > Fisheries > Fishery management. Fishery policy
Live Archive:21 Jan 2015 02:05
Last Modified:10 Jul 2023 01:22

Repository Staff Only: item control page