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Longevity and growth efficiency of two deep-dwelling Arctic zoarcids and comparison with eight other zoarcid species from different climatic regions

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Abstract

Our basic knowledge of the ecology, especially the age and growth of polar deep-sea biota is still scarce. This study provides first data about the age and growth of the two abundant Arctic fish species Lycodes frigidus and Lycodes squamiventer (Zoarcidae). Lycodes frigidus was caught at the deeper parts (1,546–3,576 m depth) of the HAUSGARTEN observatory (HG), west of Svalbard. The congener Lycodes squamiventer was caught at two HG stations (1,273–1,546 m) and at the Håkon Mosby Mud Volcano (HMMV, ~1,250 m), a cold seep in the southwestern Barents Sea. Age was determined by sagittal otolith increment analysis. Growth performance was assessed by fitting age–length data to a von Bertalanffy growth equation. Our data suggest that L. frigidus and L. squamiventer attain maximum ages of 33 and 21 years, respectively. Lycodes squamiventer from the HMMV had significantly higher growth rates and their maximum age and length was slightly lower compared to conspecifics from the shallow HG stations. Von Bertalanffy growth equations were L t  = 58.9 ∗ (1 − e(−0.042*t)) for L. frigidus, and L t  = 25.3 ∗ (1 − e(−0.074*t)) and L t  = 24.2 ∗ (1 − e(−0.099 * t)) for L. squamiventer from HG and the HMMV, respectively. A comparison of these data with those of eight other zoarcids indicates that growth performances are correlated with temperature: the higher the annual mean temperatures experienced, the higher the growth rates. However, maximum ages decrease with increasing temperatures.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the officers and crews of RVs Polarstern and L’Atalante and the teams of the remotely operated vehicles "Victor 6000" and "Quest 4000" for their support. J. Wegner, B. Sablotny and N. Koschnick gave technical support during lander deployments. E. Brodte gave instructions on the preparation of the otoliths, their reading and provided age estimates. M. Volkenandt and A. Pappert assisted in the sanding of otoliths. We are indebted to Peter Rask Møller, David Bailey and an anonymous reviewer for improvements to an earlier draft of the manuscript. This paper is based on Nicole Hildebrandt’s diploma thesis (Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg) and is publication no. awi-n19293 of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.

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  1. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany

    Nicole Hildebrandt, Melanie Bergmann & Rainer Knust

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  1. Nicole Hildebrandt
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Correspondence to Nicole Hildebrandt.

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Hildebrandt, N., Bergmann, M. & Knust, R. Longevity and growth efficiency of two deep-dwelling Arctic zoarcids and comparison with eight other zoarcid species from different climatic regions. Polar Biol 34, 1523–1533 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1011-4

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