948 



Fishery Bulletin 97(4), 1999 



Table 2 



VBGF parameters calculated by using two different tag-recapture methods (Gulland and Holt, 1959, and Fabens, 1965) (n=\1\ 

 and compared with Branstetter et al.'s ( 1987 ) estimates derived from vertebral analysis ( fork lengths calculated by using Branstetter 

 et al.'s ( 1987) conversions). 



Model 



Gulland and Holt, 1959 

 Fabens, 1965 



Branstetter et al, 1987 

 Atlantic 

 Gulf of Mexico 



337 FL 

 293 FL 



440 TL ( 365 FL) 

 388 TL (324 FL) 



SE 



6.95 

 19.10 



0.107 

 0.184 



0.178 

 0.217 



-2.35 

 -1.13 



SE 



0.048 

 0.031 



-1.12 

 -1.08 



therefore, appears to be more appropriate for sharks 

 (CailUetetal., 1992). 



In this study, the Gullanci and Holt ( 1959) method 

 produced more biologically reasonable results than 

 the Fabens (1965) method. The L,^ calculated from 

 the Gulland and Holt method was 337 cm FL, which 

 is lower than the maximum reported western North 

 Atlantic values from the literature (391 cm FL; 



Bigelow and Schroeder, 1948). More recently, in the 

 western North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, the larg- 

 est sharks observed were 346 cm FL (Branstetter, 

 1981) and 339 cm FL^ the latter quite close to our 



^ Kohler, N. E., H. W Pratt Jr. L. J. Natanson, P. Turner, and R. 

 Briggs. 1996. The shark tagger 1995 summary Narragan- 

 sett Laboratory, Northeast Fish. Science Center, Natl. Mar Fish. 

 Serv., NOAA, 16 p. 



