November 3, 2017
This fall, NREM juniors and seniors in the AECL 333 Fisheries Techniques class learned about and got hands-on experience using different gears to sample fish.
Students in the class next used some of the fish they caught to learn about otoliths (i.e., fish ear bones) and how fisheries scientists can use them to age fish. Students used the new necropsy lab that was renovated thanks to differential tuition to dissect fish in order to remove the otoliths.
Next week, students will look at the otoliths in class under microscopes to learn how to age them! Data gained through this process informs fishery managers about fish recruitment, growth, and mortality that in turn is used to manage populations.
