External services
Otolith analysis
Contacte
Service presentation
With nearly three decades of experience, the Otolith Research Laboratory offers a specialised solution for addressing all needs related to determining the age of fish or any other organism presenting growth structures.
Our platform enables and encourages marine and freshwater biologists and ecologists to undertake research based on otolith analysis by eliminating the often limiting task of processing and analysing fish otolith microstructure.
Our methods enable data acquisition related to the age and growth of virtually any fish species, as well as data regarding the early life stages of larvae and/or fish such as birth date, larval life duration, or individual size at birth or settlement.
The Otolith Research Laboratory is more than a laboratory service, since it also provides guidance on how otolith analysis-based techniques can help achieve our clients’ research goals by assessing the viability of their samples and offering training related to our area of expertise.
Services offered
- Otolith extraction for larvae and fish of any size.
- Storage: advice on the most suitable method.
- Micro- and macrostructural observational data:
- Age (days and years).
- Duration of planktonic life.
- Obtaining the birth date.
- Age at settlement.
- Size at hatching.
- Size at settlement.
- Daily growth rate.
- Reports and digital images in any format.
Information for users
Internal staff, whether from the centre or temporarily attached to it, also have access to the other laboratories (without associated service).
The responsible technician will provide you with the necessary information on service conditions, fees and other specifications.
Some of the research centres and institutes that use the Otolith Research Laboratory:
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
James Cook University (JCU, Australia)
Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environnement (CRIOBE, Moorea)
French institute for Ocean Science (IFREMER)
Victoria University of Wellington. Coastal Ecology Lab (New Zeland)
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST, Saudi Arabia)
AZTI. Sustainable Fisheries Management (Spain)
Institute of Vertebrate Biology. Czech Academy of Sciences (Czech Republic)
University of Queensland. The Perfomance Lab (Australia).
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Département milieux et peuplements aquatiques (France)
