Walleye Age Estimation Using Otoliths and Dorsal Spines: Preparation Techniques and Sampling Guidelines Based on Sex and Total Length

We used dorsal spines and otoliths from 735 Walleye Sander vitreus collected from 35 Wisconsin water bodies to evaluate whether 1) otolith and dorsal spine cross sections provided age estimates similar to simpler methods of preparation(e.g., whole otoliths and dorsal spines, cracked otoliths); and 2) between-reader precision and differences between spine and otolith ages varied in relation to total length(TL), sex, and growth rate. Ages estimated from structures prepared using simpler techniques were generally similar to ages estimated using thin sections of dorsal spines and otoliths, suggesting that, in some instances, much of the additional processing time and specialized equipment associated with thin sectioning could be avoided. Overall, between-reader precision was higher for sectioned otoliths(mean coefficient of variation [CV] = 3.28%; standard error [SE] = 0.33%) than for sectioned dorsal spines(mean CV = 9.20%; SE = 0.56%). When using sectioned otoliths for age assignment, between-reader precision did not vary between sexes or growth categories(i.e., fast, moderate, slow), but between-reader precision was higher for females than males when using sectioned dorsal spines. Dorsal spines were generally effective at replicating otolith ages for male Walleye <450 mm TL and female Walleye <600 mm TL, suggesting that dorsal spines can be used to estimate ages for male Walleye <450 mm TL and female Walleye <600 mm TL. If sex is unknown, we suggest dorsal spines be used to estimate ages for Walleye <450 mm TL, but that otoliths be used for fish >450 mm TL. Our results provide useful guidance on structure and preparation technique selection for Walleye age estimation, thereby allowing biologists to develop sampling guidelines that could be implemented using information that is always(TL) or often(sex) available at the time of fish collection.