Relationship between the longevity and the age at maturity in long-lived fish: Rikhter/Efanov's and Hoenig's methods

Abstract

The age at first maturity and species longevity are two important life history parameters for both fishery and conservation management. A relationship between species longevity and the age at maturity was derived by combining previously developed methods by Rikhter and Efanov and Hoenig. Furthermore, indications are also given that the presented method might be in a better accordance with the life history of long-lived fish species than previous methods. Previous estimations of the relationship between the age at maturity and longevity of fish species have been characterized by linear functions. However, in species with the extreme longevity, the relationship between the age at maturity and longevity is not characterized by a linear function, and it tends to increase with age. The presented method can be used routinely as a tool to assess longevity and the age at maturity of a species when the data are scarce, and to improve our understanding and management of species, until better knowledge becomes available.