STEPIEN: LIFE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF KELPFISH 



catch). Kelpfish were collected by sliding the net for- 

 ward and downward over the fish. Collection of kelp- 

 fish was facilitated by their habit of hiding in algae 

 when pursued rather than escaping by rapid swim- 

 ming. Those that were actively swimming (usually 

 through the kelp canopy) were less frequently cap- 

 tured. They were placed in a collecting bucket 

 having mesh sides, a snap-on lid, and a funnel entry- 

 way, preventing escapes when the lid was opened 

 for other fish. Care was taken to avoid putting the 

 larger kelpfish in the same bucket as the smaller 

 ones, because the smaller ones were occasionally 

 eaten by the larger ones. 



Life History Data From Juveniles 

 and Adults 



In the present study, 140 juveniles and adults of 

 representative sizes (ranging from 10 to 42 cm TL) 

 were measured live to the nearest 0.1 cm. Total 

 length (TL) was found to be more quickly measur- 

 able than standard length (SL). Both SL and TL 



were measured, in order to allow comparisons with 

 other studies. Kelpfish were weighed to the nearest 

 0.1 g on a triple-beam balance while briefly con- 

 tained in plastic bags, in which they were quiescent 

 and unabraded. These data were graphed, and 

 regression and F-test analyses were performed 

 (Sokal and Rohlf 1981; Zimmerman and Kremer 

 1983). 



The fish were sexed and aged. Females had clear 

 or pink, rounded ovaries and most individuals over 

 14 cm TL had clearly visible developing eggs. Male 

 gonads were cream-colored and had a characteristic 

 ventral groove. In cases when sex of juveniles was 

 questionable, the gonads were examined under a 

 dissection microscope. 



Otoliths (sagitta) were removed and stored dry in 

 labeled glass. They were briefly submerged in water 

 and examined against a black background with a 

 dissecting microscope (25-50 x magnification) for 

 ring counting (Fig. 2). Ages were determined by 

 counting alternating white (opaque) and translucent 

 (hyaline) bands, each representing 6 mo of growth, 



KELPFISH OTOLITH 



B 



NUCLEUS 



1 YEAR OLD 



2 YEARS OLD 



3 YEARS OLD 



4 YEARS OLD 



O 



I 



.1 



_L- 



.2 



_l 



.7 CM. 



Figure 2.— (A) Photograph of otolith (actual length = 6.5 mm) of a 4 yr-old female giant 

 kelpfish, 33 cm TL. (B) Drawing of otolith (sagitta) showing ring counts. 



811 



