| dc.description.abstract | In 2007 a project was initiated at the Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, with the aim to
further develop the methods for age determination of fish by their otoliths, as well as to
assure the quality of routine age determination work. One of the goals in that project was to
develop a reference collection for each species. These collections would be used as a guide
for new age readers, but also for checking the precision of the routine age reading.
Bente Røttingen and Jaime Alvarez started to plan a reference collection of capelin otoliths
in 2008, and selected otoliths from 1981, when the historic material contained otoliths from
all months throughout the year. The otoliths were selected based on the criterion that they
should be easy to interpret. Since the age reading of capelin by yearly rings in the otoliths
never have been validated, the age given is agreed age by experienced readers.
It is concluded that even with the equipment available at present, interpretation of digital
pictures cannot replace the direct reading through the binocular. However, the reference
collection is a valuable tool for establishing a standard for how capelin otoliths are
presently interpreted at the Institute of Marine Research. | no_NO |
