Download FAR 2017/09 Catch at age Southern Bluefin Tuna in the New Zealand long line fishery 2014/15

The collection of long term ageing data is a requirement for those countries fishing for Southern Bluefin Tuna. This report details the ageing of Southern Bluefin Tuna otoliths that were collected by onboard observers during 2015 whist working on vessels operating in the NZ longline fishery.
A total of 270 otoliths were aged. The age composition ranged from 2 to 24 years, dominated by age classes 6–10. As in previous years there were very few samples less than 4 years of age in the catch.