03-07-2003, 10:42 PM
Hi there lonehunter,
Fun Question. As another poster said, your state's fish and game department will probably have the info on their website. In California, the DFG has a pamphlet titled 'How to tell a Fishes Age' or something like that.
For some fish, they use the scales to tell age as it's something like a tree with the tree rings. The white sea bass here can be checked by the size of a calicium deposit in there heads.(They use it for equalibrium and maybe navigation)
The calico bass may live to be 35 years but can be smaller than a much younger fish if that fish has eaten better thru greater forage, etc.
Don't know how they do catfish and other fishes without scales. Maybe just the old fashioned length, girth, and weight routine we all know.
Some fishes here in California change color, patterns or sex with age. Hey no California jokes!
tsurikichi
JapanRon
[signature]