Age Determination, Growth and Reproduction in the Lesser-spotted Dogfish, Scyliorhinus canicula (L.)

m504 Successful fisheries management is based on the knowledge of species-specific life history data, comprising age and general morphometric information. This study presents such information for the lesser-spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula). Four samples of S. canicula, totalling 745 individuals (310 males and 435 females), were collected by fisheries scientists from research and commercial vessels in ICES areas VIIa and VIIg, over the period November 1999–November 2000. A further 10 hatchling specimens (5 males and 5 females), from a commercial aquarium, were also collected. The total body length range for males was from 10.4 cm to 71.0 cm and for females was 10.3 cm to 70.0 cm. A total of 706 specimens (301 male and 405 female) were aged using crystal violet stained sagittal sections of vertebral centra. Centrum length grew in proportion to total body length for males and females. Age estimates ranged from 0 years (hatchlings) to 11 years for males and 0 years to 12 years for females. Annual periodicity of growth increment deposition was suggested following analysis of the centrum edge characteristics of a subsample of specimens by all three readers. The von Bertalanff