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Fishery Bulletin 97(1), 1999 



reported from the western and eastern Atlantic 

 (Cohen et al., 1990). Age classes discerned in this 

 study also agree well with those documented by 

 Cohen et al. (1990) for the eastern Atlantic. Age 

 classes for the eastern Atlantic are defined as fol- 

 lows: 3 years at 150 mm total length (TL), 5 years at 

 200 mm TL, 7 years at 250 mm TL, and 9 years at 290 

 mm TL (Cohen et al., 1990). The maximum length of 

 E. cimbrius from this study (328 mm TL) again is simi- 

 lar to the maximum length recorded in the western 

 Atlantic (305 mm TL) by Cohen et al. (1990). 



The Kolmogorov-Smirnoff test showed no signifi- 

 cant difference between length-frequency distribu- 

 tions of observed total lengths and back-calculated 

 lengths derived from otolith increment data. This 

 finding further corroborates that presumed annuli 

 in sagittal otoliths were formed at regular time in- 

 tervals and can be used to assign ages to length 

 classes. 



In aging studies, it is a common technique to com- 

 pare assigned ages to length-frequency modes to con- 

 firm age classes (Campana and Jones, 1992). This 

 was not attempted because of substantial overlap in 

 the length-frequency modes of E. cimbrius. Length- 

 frequency modes with substantial overlap have 

 proven to be unreliable as predictors of component 



age groups because of several factors: the number of 

 modes may be less than the number of components, 

 modes may be obscured or indistinct, or false modes 

 may be generated (Beamish and McFarlane, 1987). 

 Fourbeard recklings spawn from May to October 

 (Battle. 1930; Cohen et al., 1990) and overlap m the 

 length-fi-equency modes is likely due to this prolonged 

 spawning season. 



After the first year, the age-length relationship of 

 fourbeard recklings was linear. The young grew to 

 an average of 113 mm during the first year, and, on 

 average, grew 24 mm per year to age 9. The relative 

 large size and narrow size range of one-year-old fish 

 may be attributed to the under-representation of 

 smaller fish in the sample size. Fast early growth, 

 like that ofE. cimbrius, is exhibited by most gadids, 

 and is particularly evident in red hake, Urophycis 

 chuss, and white hake, U. tenuis. This type of growth 

 is probably advantageous to U. chuss and U. tenuis 

 and to other small demersal marine fishes that en- 

 ter habitats dominated by larger individuals (Markle 

 et al., 1982). Arctic cod, Boreogadus saida. from La- 

 brador also exhibits growth rates similar to that of £. 

 cimbrius. AHer reaching approximately 90 mm in their 

 first year, B. saida average roughly 40 mm per year 

 until age 5; they rarely live beyond age 6 (Lear, 1983). 



