Age, growth, and mortality were estimated for Yellowfin Tuna Thunnus albacares from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic Ocean. During 2004–2017, 3,443 Yellowfin Tuna were sampled, primarily from recreational landings off the coast of Louisiana (90%). Based on reading otoliths, ages ranged from 1 to 18 years, with younger fish (<4 years) representing the majority (78%) of the age-classes. Otolith weight was allometrically related to fish age (r² = 0.91), which suggests that it may be a useful tool in indirectly estimating age given the challenges associated with directly aging tropical tunas. Based on Akaike’s information criterion (AIC), the Richards growth model had the most parsimonious fit to the length-at-age data (average maximum length L_∞ = 1,658 mm, growth coefficient k = 0.23 year⁻¹, a = 1.04, b = 0.45) compared to the von Bertalanffy growth model (L_∞ = 1,589 mm, k = 0.36 year⁻¹, theoretical age at zero length t₀ = −0.8 year; AIC difference = 26.21), which had a relatively poor fit. The size-modified Richards model, which assumed a truncated error structure at the minimum size limit (686 mm curved fork length [CFL]) in fishery-dependent collections, improved the fit in the smallest individuals and was therefore the preferred model. Males and females had similar maximum ages (18 and 17 years, respectively) but showed significant differences in growth, with males reaching a larger L_∞ than females (size-modified Richards: 1,706 versus 1,568 mm CFL, respectively). Baseline natural mortality (M) using a maximum age of 18 years was 0.346 and was then scaled across age-classes. These growth and mortality estimates and the individual age data have been used in improving stock assessments for Yellowfin Tuna to support scientific management.

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美国墨西哥湾和西大西洋黄鳍金枪鱼的年龄和生长

对来自美国墨西哥湾和西大西洋的黄鳍金枪鱼Thunnus albacares 的年龄、生长和死亡率进行了估计。2004 年至 2017 年期间，对 3,443 条黄鳍金枪鱼进行了采样，主要来自路易斯安那州海岸附近的休闲登陆点 (90%)。根据阅读耳石，年龄范围为 1 至 18 岁，年轻的鱼（<4 岁）代表大多数（78%）年龄组。耳石重量与鱼龄异速生长 ( r ² = 0.91)，这表明考虑到与直接老化热带金枪鱼相关的挑战，它可能是间接估计年龄的有用工具。基于 Akaike 的信息准则 (AIC)，Richards 增长模型对年龄数据（平均最大长度L_∞  = 1,658 毫米，生长系数k  = 0.23 年^-1，a  = 1.04，b  = 0.45) 与 von Bertalanffy 生长模型相比（L _∞  = 1,589 毫米，k  = 0.36 年^-1，零长度时的理论年龄t ₀ = -0.8 年；AIC 差异 = 26.21)，拟合度相对较差。尺寸修正的理查兹模型假设在依赖渔业的集合中的最小尺寸限制（686 毫米弯曲叉长度 [CFL]）处截断误差结构，改善了最小个体的拟合，因此是首选模型。雄性和雌性的最大年龄相似（分别为 18 和 17 岁），但在生长方面表现出显着差异，雄性达到的L _∞比雌性大（尺寸修正的理查兹：分别为 1,706 和 1,568 毫米 CFL）。基线自然死亡率（M) 使用 18 岁的最大年龄为 0.346，然后跨年龄段进行缩放。这些生长和死亡率估计值以及个体年龄数据已用于改进黄鳍金枪鱼的种群评估，以支持科学管理。