Studies to determine precision and bias of both methods and age-readers are important to evaluate reliability of age data used for developing fisheries management objectives. We assessed within-reader, between-reader, and between-method precision (coefficient of variation, CV%) and bias of age estimations for long-lived lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, from Great Bear Lake using three readers with different levels of experience. The assessment used independent age estimates (n = 3 per reader) from whole and transverse-sectioned otoliths (range = 1–67 years), and pelvic fin-ray sections (range = 3–26 years). We also examined between-method differences in assigned confidence scores. Within readers, age estimates from sectioned otoliths were more precise (2.6–3.0%) than whole (3.6–4.5%) otoliths. Between whole and sectioned otoliths, precision of age estimates was 5.4% and bias was low up to age 20. Age was typically under-estimated from whole otoliths compared to sections for fish ≥ 34 years. Increased reader confidence was correlated with greater precision and younger age estimates, particularly for whole otoliths, but less so for fin rays. Age was estimated with higher confidence from otolith sections than other methods. The least experienced reader estimated age with the lowest precision, and between-reader bias was evident among older ages. Age was consistently under-estimated and less precise from pelvic fins compared to sectioned otoliths, and are therefore an unsuitable non-lethal alternative. Sectioned otoliths revealed longevity was greater (67 years) than historically documented using whole otoliths (53 years) for these fish. Our findings contribute to those relying on otoliths or pelvic fin rays to estimate ages of long-lived lake trout populations, which are a key component of freshwater fauna in polar North America.

确定方法和年龄阅读器的精确度和偏差的研究对于评估用于制定渔业管理目标的年龄数据的可靠性很重要。我们使用具有不同经验水平的三名读者评估了来自 Great Bear Lake的长寿湖鳟鱼Salvelinus namaycush的读者内、读者间和方法间精确度（变异系数，CV%）和年龄估计偏差. 评估使用了独立的年龄估计 ( n = 每位读者 3 个）来自整个和横切耳石（范围 = 1-67 岁）和骨盆鳍射线部分（范围 = 3-26 岁）。我们还检查了指定置信度分数的方法间差异。在读者中，分段耳石的年龄估计 (2.6-3.0%) 比整体 (3.6-4.5%) 耳石更精确。在整个耳石和切片耳石之间，年龄估计的精度为 5.4%，直到 20 岁的偏差都很低。与 34 岁以上的鱼的切片相比，整个耳石的年龄通常被低估。读者信心的增加与更高的精度和更年轻的估计有关，特别是对于整个耳石，但对于鳍条而言则不然。与其他方法相比，耳石切片对年龄的估计具有更高的可信度。经验最少的读者以最低的精度估计年龄，年龄较大的读者之间的偏见很明显。与切开的耳石相比，骨盆鳍的年龄一直被低估且精度较低，因此是不合适的非致命替代品。切开的耳石显示，这些鱼的寿命（67 年）比使用整个耳石的历史记录（53 年）更长。我们的发现有助于那些依靠耳石或腹鳍射线来估计长寿湖鳟种群年龄的人，它们是北美极地淡水动物群的关键组成部分。切开的耳石显示，这些鱼的寿命（67 年）比使用整个耳石的历史记录（53 年）更长。我们的发现有助于那些依靠耳石或腹鳍射线来估计长寿湖鳟种群年龄的人，它们是北美极地淡水动物群的关键组成部分。切开的耳石显示，这些鱼的寿命（67 年）比使用整个耳石的历史记录（53 年）更长。我们的发现有助于那些依赖耳石或腹鳍射线来估计长寿湖鳟种群年龄的人，它们是北美极地淡水动物群的关键组成部分。