Nixon and Jones: Age and growth of larval and juvenile Micropogonias undulatus 
783 
Standard length and otolith maximum 
diameter (OMDJ relation 
We found that in wild-caught larval Atlantic croaker, 
faster-growing individuals have larger otoliths than 
similar-size slower-growing individuals. Our results 
differ from results found for laboratory-reared gup- 
pies ( Poecilia reticulata) ( Reznick et al., 1989), pond- 
reared striped bass ( Morone saxatilis) (Secor and 
Dean, 1989), red seabream ( Pagrus major), and spot 
( Leiostomus xanthurus) (Secor et al., 1989). In these 
studies, where food ration was controlled, slower- 
growing individuals had larger otoliths than simi- 
lar-size faster-growing individuals. However, in Arc- 
tic char ( Salvelinus alpinus), otolith growth rate has 
been found to continue increasing while somatic 
growth remains constant when exposed to tempera- 
tures above 13°C (Mosegaard et al., 1988). In our 
study, the early-captured, faster-growing Atlantic 
croaker, may have experienced otolith growth that 
exceeded their maximum somatic growth rate. 
Unfortunately, there are no quantitative data that 
can be tested to determine what factors influenced 
the growth of Atlantic croaker in our samples and 
what were the subsequent effects on the otolith 
growth-somatic growth relation. The underlying is- 
sue, however, is to examine how the fish and otolith- 
size relation is affected by temperature responses of 
somatic growth rate at particular food levels 
(Mosegaard et al., 1988) and to determine its signifi- 
cance when backcalculating growth from increment 
widths (Campana and Jones, 1992). 
Acknowledgments 
We thank Hassan Lakkis for statistical advise and 
guidance, and Joseph E. Hightower, Allyn Powell, 
and the late Ray S. Birdsong for critical reviews of 
this manuscript. Additional thanks are given to all 
those at the Applied Marine Research Laboratory at 
Old Dominion University who assisted on this project. 
We owe a special debt of gratitude to Brenda L. 
Norcross for working with us and for providing the 
Atlantic croaker samples used in this study, which 
were obtained from projects funded by the National 
Sea Grant Program (sub-contract # 5-29532) to the 
Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), and by 
the National Marine Fisheries Services, Northeast 
Fisheries Center to B. Norcross (NA85-EAH 00026) 
and to VIMS by the Virginia Council on the Envi- 
ronment. Other specimens used were collected in part 
of an expansion of the VIMS river trawl survey. This 
study was funded by Virginia Sea Grant in 1990 and 
1991 to C. Jones and B. Norcross (grant R/CF- 
25VGMSC) and is based on a thesis submitted by 
the senior author in partial fulfillment of the require- 
ment for the M.S. degree, Department of Biology, Old 
Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23519. 
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