Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This study was designed to validate and estimate accuracy and precision of ages determined from scales sampled from coastal Cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki clarki in Southeast Alaska; to model growth of these fish; and to evaluate the sensitivity of sustained yield estimates to aging error. Cutthroat trout scales sampled in Southeast Alaska did not always form an annulus during the first year, although the number of circuli up to the first apparent annulus was a good indicator that one was missing. Reader error generally resulted in significant underaging of older fish from scales. However, aging error models developed in this study significantly improved the accuracy of ages estimated from scales. Growth of cutthroat trout was best described by a Gompertz growth curve and was significantly different between the populations studied. Underaging of cutthroat trout resulted in underestimates of optimum levels of fishing mortality and yield.

Publication Date

8-17-1997

Handle

http://hdl.handle.net/11122/15737

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