Growth of an Inshore Antarctic fish, Trematomus newnesi (Nototheniidae), off Adelie Land

Dusky rockcod, Trematomus newnesi, is a widely distributed neritic circumpolar Antarctic fish species. We conducted a study on age and growth of T. newnesi in coastal waters of Adélie Land in East Antarctica. A total of 289 specimens were collected in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2009. They consisted of 122 females, 132 males and 35 immature specimens. Total length (TL) and total weight (W) of these fish ranged from 13.5 to 25 cm and 19.7-174 g respectively for females and from 12 to 20.9 cm and from 24.1 to 144.1 g for males. The TL/W relationship was described by the following parameters: a = 7.2.10−3 and b = 3.127, showing no significant difference between sex (ANCOVA, P < 0.05). Fish age was estimated by counting annual growth increments on polished transverse sections of sagittal otoliths. Age estimates varied from 3 to 14 years. There was a significant relationship between otolith morphological features (weight and radius) and age with no difference between males and females (p > 0.05). The estimated values of Von Bertalanffy growth curve L∞ (cm), W∞ (g) and k were 26.6, 200.6 and 0.13 for females and 24.5, 147.0 and 0.15 for males respectively. The indices of growth performance between sexes were not significant. However, potential difference in growth rate between the morphs cannot be neglected.