Direct determination of age in shrimps, crabs, and lobsters

• Published in: Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences Vol. 69; no. 11; pp. 1728 - 1733
• Main Authors: KILADA, Raouf, SAINTE-MARIE, Bernard, ROCHETTE, Rémy, DAVIS, Neill, VANIER, Caroline, CAMPANA, Steven
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ottawa, ON NRC Research Press 01.11.2012; National Research Council of Canada; Canadian Science Publishing NRC Research Press
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Canada; Chionoecetes opilio; Comparative analysis; Crustacea; Crustaceans; Decapoda (Crustacea); Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.); Fish populations; Fisher effect; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth; Homarus americanus; Invertebrates; Marine; Marine biology; Mortality; Pandalus borealis; Physical growth; Physiological aspects; Sclerocrangon boreas; Canada; Crustacea; Crab; Aquatic environment; Lobster; Arthropoda; Brachyura; Decapoda; Invertebrata; Age; Shrimp; Macrura
• ISSN: 0706-652X; 1205-7533
• DOI: 10.1139/cjfas-2012-0254

The detection and measurement of annual growth bands preserved in calcified structures underlies the assessment and management of exploited fish populations around the world. However, the estimation of growth, mortality, and other age-structured processes in crustaceans has been severely limited by the apparent absence of permanent growth structures. Here, we report the detection of growth bands in calcified regions of the eyestalk or gastric mill in shrimps, crabs, and lobsters. Comparison of growth band counts with reliable, independent estimates of age strongly suggests that the bands form annually, thus providing a direct and accurate method of age determination in all of the species examined. Chemical tags in the lobster cuticle were retained through one or two molts that occurred over the duration of an experiment, as apparently was the mesocardiac ossicle containing the growth bands in the gastric mill. Growth bands are not the previously documented lamellae of the endocuticle, and their formation was not associated with molting. Sex-specific growth curves were readily developed from growth band examination in multiple species, suggesting that routine measurement of growth and mortality in decapod crustaceans may now be possible.