Blue sharks (Prionace glauca) are recognised as one of five key pelagic shark species in the Western Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) due to their frequent incidental catch in tuna and billfish longline fisheries. Given their importance in the region, the aim of this study was to investigate the life history of this species for use in future population assessments in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Eighty-one vertebral samples were examined to provide preliminary age and growth estimates for P. glauca caught by commercial longline vessels operating in the Bismarck and Solomon seas. Ages ranged from 10 to 25 years. A Bayesian approach using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) was used to estimate growth parameters. The von Bertalanffy model provided the best fitting growth model (males: L_∞ = 379 cm, L₀ = 45.8 cm, k = 0.07 year⁻¹; females: L_∞ = 329.2 cm, L₀ = 45.8 cm and k = 0.08 year⁻¹; combined sexes: L_∞ = 350.8 cm, L₀ = 45.8 cm, k = 0.07 year⁻¹). The asymptotic length parameter estimate for the male P. glauca population from PNG was the largest reported. Our results demonstrate that intraspecific variation in life history traits of P. glauca across its entire distribution is likely due to differences in methodology, sample size and interpretation of growth bands rather than regional differences in growth. This study takes an important step towards facilitating management strategies for P. glauca in PNG by producing preliminary growth estimates for the species. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are required to conduct age validation and refine the life history information for this highly migratory species in PNG.

蓝鲨（Prionace glauca）被公认为中西部太平洋 (WCPO) 的五种主要中上层鲨鱼物种之一，因为它们经常在金枪鱼和长嘴鱼延绳钓渔业中被偶然捕获。鉴于它们在该地区的重要性，本研究的目的是调查该物种的生活史，以用于巴布亚新几内亚 (PNG) 未来的种群评估。检查了 81 个椎骨样本以提供P. glauca 的初步年龄和生长估计被在俾斯麦海和所罗门海作业的商业延绳钓船捕获。年龄从10岁到25岁不等。使用马尔可夫链蒙特卡罗 (MCMC) 的贝叶斯方法用于估计增长参数。von Bertalanffy 模型提供了最适合的生长模型（男性：L _∞  = 379 cm，L ₀  = 45.8 cm，k  = 0.07 年^-1；女性：L _∞  = 329.2 cm，L ₀  = 45.8 cm 和k  = 0.08 年⁻¹；两性组合：L _∞  = 350.8 cm，L ₀  = 45.8 cm，k  = 0.07 年^-1 )。雄性P的渐近长度参数估计。 来自 PNG 的glauca种群是最大的报告。我们的结果表明，P. glauca整个分布的生活史特征的种内变异可能是由于方法、样本大小和生长带解释的差异，而不是生长的区域差异。该研究通过对物种的初步生长估计，朝着促进PNG 的P. glauca管理策略迈出了重要的一步。然而，需要更大样本量的进一步研究来进行年龄验证并完善 PNG 中这种高度迁徙物种的生活史信息。