Otolith recruitment

Otoliths are of considerable value in studies of recruitment processes, as well as larval and juvenile fishes. Much of this work is associated with the examination of the otolith microstructure and the determination of growth patterns.

Applications specific to young fish include the determination of:

• growth rate
• mortality rate
• daily age and hatch date

We can evaluate factors influencing recruitment (equaling year class strength) when we combine age-structured estimates with independent information on:

• currents
• temperature
• spawning patterns
• population abundance

Particularly important for recruitment are relationships between:

• the environment and:
  • growth rate
  • larval drift patterns
  • hatch date frequencies as compared to spawning production
• growth rate and mortality rate

Related links

• Otolith microstructure and daily increments
• Otolith growth models and backcalculation
• Otolith publications