HILL ET AL.: ANALYSIS OF GROWTH ZONES IN PACIFIC BLUE MARLIN 



Figure 7. — Longitudinal cross section of the anterior centrum from the 23rd 

 vertebrae from a 50.3 kg male Pacific Makaira nigricans, sl = anterior end; d = 

 dorsal; v = ventral; f = centrum focus. 



crements in anal and dorsal spine sections and 

 sagitta from the same blue marlin (Fig. 9A-C). 

 The //-intercepts of these relationships were not 

 significantly different from zero, and the slopes 

 did not differ from parity (slope = 1; P < 0.05). 

 Correlation coefficients ranged from r = 0.84 (P 

 < 0.001) for anal spine and sagitta counts to r = 

 0.95 (P < 0.001) for the comparison of anal and 



dorsal spine counts. The gi-eatest deviation in 

 counts between corresponding hardparts was 9, 

 where the anal spine count was 7 and the 

 sagittal increment count was 16. Wilcoxon 

 Signed Rank tests revealed no statistical differ- 

 ence between counts of these three structures 

 (P < 0.01). 



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