An integrated growth study for North Atlantic albacore (Thunnus alalunga Bonn. 1788)

Abstract The growth of North Atlantic albacore (Thunnus alalunga) was studied using three methods. Spines collected during a fishing season (n = 761) were read and used to estimate growth parameters. Additional growth estimates were obtained by applying MULTIFAN to quarterly size frequency distributions of total international catch for the period 1990–1999 as well as using tag-recapture data (n = 314). In the case of spines and tagging, models that allowed for individual variability in growth were evaluated. In the analysis with size frequency distributions, a model that allowed for seasonal growth and age-dependent standard deviation around the mean lengths-at-age was used. Growth estimates were consistent among the different methods, and a combined model based on ageing derived from spines and tagging data is proposed as the most comprehensive descriptor of growth of North Atlantic albacore.