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Removing otoliths from a kelp greenling in the field

By Alaska Science Center May 2011 (approx.)
Biologist removing the ear bones from a fish on a table on a boat in Southeast Alaska
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Detailed Description

Hans Bruning (left; first mate on the Snow Goose) and Tim Tinker (right) watch as USGS biologist Vanessa von Biela dissects kelp greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus) for their otoliths—earbones whose growth rings can reveal a fish's age and indicate how fast the fish grew in certain years. Picture taken on board the M/V Snow Goose in southeast Alaska.

Sources/Usage

Public Domain.