Age validation for goosefish (Lophius americanus) in the northeastern United States

The goosefish (Lophius americanus) supports a valuable commercial fishery in the northeastern United States, but annual catch limits are relatively low because of uncertainty in assumed growth rates used for stock assessment. We evaluated the accuracy of the vertebral aging protocol and explored alternative aging methods by injecting chemical markers into individual goosefish held in the laboratory and tagged and recaptured in the field. The chemical left visible marks on vertebrae, illicia, and otoliths at the time of injection, but visibility and intensity of the marks varied among these aging structures. Times after marking ranged from 185 to 860 d for the 20 fish that were analyzed. Observed and expected counts of annuli after the chemical mark indicate that growth increments on vertebrae do not represent annuli and, therefore, cannot be used to accurately determine the age of goosefish. Identification of presumed annuli after the chemical mark was not possible for otoliths because the mark was not visible in most of the samples. Identification of presumed annuli was better for illicium samples than for vertebral samples. The growth rates of the individuals recaptured in the field provide preliminary information on annual growth of goosefish.