Age and growth of the nototheniid fish Trematomus bernacchii Boulenger from Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica

Age and growth of the nototheniid fish Trematomus bernacchii Boulenger 1902 were estimated by reading the sagittal otoliths of 457 adult specimens caught off Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea) in the austral summer 1990-1991. Annuli in ground and polished otoliths were examined using a dissecting microscope under reflected light. The Von Bertalanffy growth equation was L(t) = 273.5 [1 - e(-0.109(t + 2.10))] for males (n = 122) and L(t) = 422.2 [1 - e(-0.055(t + 1.92))] for females (n = 211) where L is total length in millimetres. Maximum estimated age was 21 years for females and 16 years for males. This is in agreement with the hypothesis that considers slow growth and old age as a typical feature of Antarctic fishes.