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Advances in the aquatic sciences
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Physicochemical mechanisms of FT-NIRS age prediction in fish otoliths

Michelle S. Passerotti https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2504-0362 A B * , Marcel J. M. Reichert C , Bailey A. Robertory A D , Zachary Marsh E , Morgan Stefik E and Joseph M. Quattro F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.

B Present address: NOAA Fisheries Apex Predators Program, 28 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, RI 02884, USA.

C South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Research Institute, Charleston, SC 29412, USA.

D Present address: Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.

E Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.

F School of the Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.

* Correspondence to: michelle.passerotti@noaa.gov

Handling Editor: Christine Dudgeon

Marine and Freshwater Research 73(6) 846-865 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF21341
Submitted: 2 December 2021  Accepted: 18 March 2022   Published: 9 May 2022

© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context: Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIRS) is of interest to fisheries managers for rapid age prediction in fish otoliths, yet the underlying prediction mechanism is unknown.

Aims: To better understand drivers of FT-NIRS age prediction, we evaluated FT-NIRS spectra and age prediction models for otoliths of red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, related to otolith structure, mass, and constituents (calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and protein).

Methods: Spectra were collected from a set of whole otoliths (n = 84, 0–28 years) and again sequentially after grinding to powder and subsampling a fixed mass of each ground otolith. Protein content was also measured (n = 26) and related to spectra.

Key results: Age prediction was diminished in ground and fixed-mass otolith models, but remained within 2 years of traditional ages. Protein content (0.43–0.92% weight) increased significantly with age, implying a concomitant decrease in CaCO3 content. FT-NIRS models predicted protein content to within 0.04%, but protein variability hindered modelling. Spectral characteristics of both CaCO3 and protein are evident in otolith spectra and are implicated in age-prediction models.

Conclusions: Changes in otolith composition, mass, and structure underlie FT-NIRS age prediction, but compositional changes inform the majority of age prediction.

Implications: These results provide a foundation for understanding FT-NIRS age prediction.

Keywords: age estimation, fisheries management, Lutjanus campechanus, otolith chemistry, organic matter, protein, red snapper, spectroscopy.


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