Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Age of black dogfish (Centroscyllium fabricii) estimated from fin spines growth bands and eye lens bomb radiocarbon dating

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Polar Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Accurate age estimates are key life history parameters for understanding growth, reproduction and susceptibility to exploitation. Using a combination of fin spine growth increments and bomb radiocarbon dating, we provide minimum age estimates for the small Atlantic squaloid shark, black dogfish (Centroscyllium fabricii) sampled in Greenland waters. Age estimates based on growth increments in the fin spine, just distal to the end of the pulp cavity, were obtained from males (N = 64) and females (N = 70), and von Bertalanffy growth curves were fitted. The maximum growth increment count was 36 in males and 35 in females. Males and females had similar growth rates, but females grew larger (Linf, females = 68 cm, Linf, males = 61 cm). To evaluate the fin spine age estimates, bomb radiocarbon dating on eye lenses were done on a selection of females. All individuals larger than 65 cm (total length) were older than the bomb pulse corresponding to an age of at least 53 years, while those smaller than 55 cm were younger. Therefore, we observe a discrepancy between age estimates obtained from fin spines and bomb radiocarbon dating, indicating that fin spines are unsuitable for ageing black dogfish, at least for the oldest individuals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bassnett S, Shi Y, Vrensen GFJM (2011) Biological glass: structural determinants of eye lens transparency. Philos Trans Biol Sci 366:1250–1264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beamish RJ, McFarlane G (1985) Annulus development on the second dorsal spine of the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and its validity for age determination. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 42:1799–1805

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beamish RJ, McFarlane G (2000) Reevaluation of the interpretation of annuli from otoliths of a long-lived fish, Anoplopoma fimbria. Fish Res 46:105–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-7836(00)00137-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campana SE (2001) Accuracy, precision and quality control in age determination, including a review of the use and abuse of age validation methods. J Fish Biol 59:197–242. https://doi.org/10.1006/jfbi.2001.1668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campana SE, Jones C, Mcfarlane GA, Myklevoll S (2006) Bomb dating and age validation using the spines of spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias). Environ Biol Fishes 77:327–336. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-006-9107-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campana SE, Natanson LJ, Myklevoll S (2002) Bomb dating and age determination of large pelagic sharks. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 59:450–455. https://doi.org/10.1139/F02-027

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campana SE, Valentin EV, MacLellan SE, Groot JB (2016) Image-enhanced burnt otoliths, bomb radiocarbon and the growth dynamics of redfish (Sebastes mentella and S. fasciatus) off the eastern coast of Canada. Mar Freshw Res 67:925–936

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke MW, Connolly PL, Bracken JJ (2002) Age estimation of the exploited deepwater shark Centrophorus squamosus from the continental slopes of the Rockall Trough and Porcupine Bank. J Fish Biol 60:501–514. https://doi.org/10.1006/jfbi.2001.1861

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Vries H (1958) Atomic bomb effect: variation of radiocarbon in plants, shells, and snails in the past 4 years. Science 128:250–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freer DWL, Griffiths CL (1993) Estimation of age and growth in the St Joseph Callorhinchus capensis (Dumeril). Afr J Mar Sci 13:75–81. https://doi.org/10.2989/025776193784287194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garde E, Heide-Jorgensen MP, Hansen SH et al (2007) Age-specific growth and remarkable longevity in narwhals (Monodon monoceros) from west greenland as estimated by aspartic acid racemization. J Mammal 88:49–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George JC, Bada J, Zeh J et al (1999) Age and growth estimates of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) via aspartic acid racemization. Can J Zool 77:571–580. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-77-4-571

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamady LL, Natanson LJ, Skomal GB, Thorrold SR (2014) Vertebral bomb radiocarbon suggests extreme longevity in white sharks. PLoS ONE 9:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0084006

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harry AV (2018) Evidence for systemic age underestimation in shark and ray ageing studies. Fish Fish 19:185–200. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hedeholm R, Qvist T, Nielsen J, Grønkjær P (2019) Temporal changes in size-at-maturity of black dogfish Centroscyllium fabricii. J Fish Biol. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14072

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoenig JM, Gruber SH (1990) Life history patterns in the elasmobranchs: implications for fisheries management. In: Elasmobranchs as living resources: advances in the biology, ecology, systematics and the status of the fisheries. NOAA technical report 90. pp 1–16

  • Holden MJ, Meadows PS (1962) The structure of the spine of spur dogfish (Squalus acanthias L.) and its use for age determination. J Mar Biol Assoc 42:179–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ICES (2018) Report of the working group on elasmobranch fishes (WGEF), 19–28 June 2018, Lisbon, Portugal. ICES CM 2018/ACOM: 16, p. 1306.

  • Jakobsdóttir KB (2001) Biological aspects of two deep-water squalid sharks: Centroscyllium fabricii (Reinhardt, 1825) and Etmopterus princeps (Collett, 1904) in Icelandic waters. Fish Res 51:247–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-7836(01)00250-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jørgensen OA, Bastardie F, Eigaard OR (2014) Impact of deep-sea fishery for Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) on non-commercial fish species off West Greenland. ICES J Mar Sci 71:845–852. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fst191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ketchen KS (1975) Age and growth of dogfish Squalus acanthias in British Columbia Waters. J Fish Res Board Canada 32:43–59. https://doi.org/10.1139/f75-006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynnerup N, Kjeldsen H, Heegaard S et al (2008) Radiocarbon dating of the human eye lens crystallines reveal proteins without carbon turnover throughout life. PLoS ONE 3:1–3. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0001529

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen J, Hedeholm RB, Heinemeier J et al (2016) Eye lens radiocarbon reveals centuries of longevity in the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus). Science 353:702–704. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf1703

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen J (2018) The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) Diet, tracking and radiocarbon age estimates reveal the world’s oldest vertebrate. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Copenhagen.

  • Olsen EM, Heino M, Lilly GR et al (2004) Maturation trends indicative of rapid evolution preceded the collapse of northern cod. Nature 428:932–935. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02453.1

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olsen JD, Tikhomirov C, Grosen J, Heinemeier J, Klein M (2016) Radiocarbon Analysis on the New AARAMS 1MV Tandetron. Radiocarbon: 1–9

  • Pearcy WG, Stuvier M (1983) Vertical transport of carbon-14 into deep-sea food webs. Deep-Sea Res 30(4A):427–440

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stuiver M, Polach HA (1977) Reporting of C-14 data. Radiocarbon 19:355–363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qvist T (2017) Age estimates and distribution of the black dogfish (Centroscyllium fabricii ) M.Sc. Thesis, Aarhus University

  • Sullivan KJ (1977) Age ad growth of the elephant fish. callorhinchus milii (Elasmobranchii: Callorhynchidae. New Zeal J Mar Fresh 11:745–753. https://doi.org/10.1080/00288330.1977.9515710

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scourse JD, Wanamaker AD, Weidman C et al (2012) The marine radiocarbon bomb pulse across the temperate North Atlantic: a compilation of Δ14C time histories from Arctica islandica growth increments. Radiocarbon 54:165–186. https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_js_rc.v54i2.16026

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens MM, Andrews AH, Cailliet GM et al (2004) Radiometric validation of age, growth, and longevity for the blackgill rockfish (Sebastes melanostomus). Fish Bull 102:711–722

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart REA, Campana SE, Jones CM, Stewart BE (2006) Bomb radiocarbon dating calibrates beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) age estimates. Can J Zool 84:1840–1852

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treble MA, Campana SE, Wastle RJ et al (2008) Growth analysis and age validation of a deepwater Arctic fish, the Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides). Can J Fish Aquat Sci 65:1047–1059. https://doi.org/10.1139/F08-030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trippel EA (1995) Age at maturity as a stress indicator in fisheries. Bioscience 45:759. https://doi.org/10.2307/1312628

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams PM, Druffel ERM, Smith KL Jr (1987) Dietary carbon sources for deep-sea organisms as inferred from their organic radiocarbon activities. Deep-Sea Res 34(2):253–266

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams PM, McGowan JA, Stuvier M (1970) Bomb carbon-14 in deep ocean sea organisms. Nature 227:375–376

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Worm B, Davis B, Kettemer L et al (2013) Global catches, exploitation rates, and rebuilding options for sharks. Mar Policy 40:194–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2012.12.034

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yano K (1995) Reproductive biology of the Black dogfish, Centroscyllium fabricii, collected from waters off Western Greenland. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 75:285–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank three reviewers for their effort and comments that improved the manuscript throughout.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, Post Office Box 570, 3900, Nuuk, Greenland

    R. Hedeholm & J. Nielsen

  2. Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Allé 1, 8000, Århus, Denmark

    T. Qvist, M. Frausing & P. Grønkjær

  3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus AMS Centre, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    J. Olsen

Authors
  1. R. Hedeholm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. T. Qvist
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Frausing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. Olsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. J. Nielsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. P. Grønkjær
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

RH designed the study, secured funding and was the primary author of the manuscript. TQ conducted laboratory work and co-analysed data. MF conducted laboratory work and co-analysed data. JO conducted the work related to radiocarbon dating and analysed those data. JN designed the study and co-wrote the primary text. PG co-funded the study and analysed the data. All authors contributed with text and review of earlier manuscript drafts.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Hedeholm.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All specimens included in this study were caught as part of a standardized scientific survey conducted by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. The survey does not target black dogfish, but these are an unavoidable bycatch. All sampling followed the institutional guidelines that are in agreement with international standards and follow a strict protocol of the highest ethical standard.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file 1 (DOCX 60 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hedeholm, R., Qvist, T., Frausing, M. et al. Age of black dogfish (Centroscyllium fabricii) estimated from fin spines growth bands and eye lens bomb radiocarbon dating. Polar Biol 44, 751–759 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02832-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02832-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation