Otolith collection
Cross-section of a bluefish (Girella cyanea) otolith
with the annual marks each denoted with a black dot.
with the annual marks each denoted with a black dot.
The Ageing laboratory at Cronulla Fisheries Research Centre, under the Wild Fisheries program, has an archived collection of otoliths of NSW estuarine and oceanic species.
The collection contains:
Over 70,000 sectioned otoliths on microscope slides.
The collection represents a record of fish ages from the early 1990s and provides information for over two dozen species.
More detailed information on the collection
Historical information is available for the following species:
- Black & Yellowfin bream
- Blue mackerel
- Dusky flathead
- Luderick
- River garfish
- Sand whiting
- Sea garfish
- Sea mullet
- Silver biddies
- Silver sweep
- Silver trevally
- Snapper
- Snub-nosed garfish
- Tarwhine
- Trumpeter whiting
- Yellowtail scad
Current research projects are collecting data for:
- Estuary catfish
- Flat-tail mullet
- Maori wrasse
- Pearl perch
- Pigfish
- Pike
- Red rockcod
- Rubberlip morwong
- Sand mullet
Loans
Loans of material (sections or second otolith) from the collection for genuine scientific or educational purposes can be obtained through writing to the Program: doug.ferrell@dpi.nsw.gov.au