Techniques and theory for processing otoliths from tropical marine fish have developed only recently due to an historic misconception that these organisms could not be aged. Otoliths are the most commonly used structures from which daily, seasonal or annual records of a fish’s environmental history are inferred, and are also used as indicators of migration patterns, home range, spatial distribution, stock structure and life history events. A large proportion of projects undertaken on tropical marine organisms involve removal and processing of calcified structures such as otoliths, statoliths or vertebrae to retrieve biological, biochemical or genetic information. Current techniques and principles have evolved rapidly and are under constant modification and these differ among laboratories, and more particularly among species and within life history stages. Tropical fish otoliths: Information for assessment, management and ecology is a comprehensive description of the current status of knowledge about otoliths in the tropics. This book has contributions from leading experts in the field, encompassing a tropical perspective on daily and annual ageing in fish and invertebrates, microchemistry, interpreting otolith microstructure and using it to back-calculate life history events, and includes a treatise on the significance of validating periodicity in otoliths.

The field of otolith microstructure research has experienced phenomenal growth since the early 1970s and now forms the basis for hundreds of studies in early life history, age, growth, recruitment, migration, mortality and stock structure. This book represents the first effort to compile and summarize the many techniques and procedures associated with studies of otolith microstructure. The complete sequence of events, from sample collection to data analysis, is covered comprehensively, so as to be applicable to most species and situations. The various chapters include both published and unpublished procedures.

Stock Identification Methods, 2e, continues to provide a comprehensive review of the various disciplines used to study the population structure of fishery resources. It represents the worldwide experience and perspectives of experts on each method, assembled through a working group of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. The book is organized to foster interdisciplinary analyses and conclusions about stock structure, a crucial topic for fishery science and management. Technological advances have promoted the development of stock identification methods in many directions, resulting in a confusing variety of approaches. Based on central tenets of population biology and management needs, this valuable resource offers a unified framework for understanding stock structure by promoting an understanding of the relative merits and sensitivities of each approach. - Describes 18 distinct approaches to stock identification grouped into sections on life history traits, environmental signals, genetic analyses, and applied marks - Features experts' reviews of benchmark case studies, general protocols, and the strengths and weaknesses of each identification method - Reviews statistical techniques for exploring stock patterns, testing for differences among putative stocks, stock discrimination, and stock composition analysis - Focuses on the challenges of interpreting data and managing mixed-stock fisheries