Researchers from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) have made a groundbreaking discovery off Tasmania’s coast, recently capturing two of oldest Striped Trumpeter ever recorded.
These findings, ranking among the top five oldest ‘Stripeys’ in IMAS’s database since 1990, shed light on the remarkable longevity of these iconic fish.
Using the IMAS Tassie Fish Frame Collection Program, which relies on samples from both researchers and fishers, age estimates were determined by analysing the annual growth rings in the fish’s otoliths (ear bones).
The last sampling season revealed a 41-year-old male (93cm, 9kg) and a 39-year-old female (96cm, 12.5kg) as the oldest ‘Stripeys’ since 2008.
Joining the top five oldest specimens recorded in 33 years of sampling, both fish were researcher-caught off Tasmania’s West Coast.
The list also includes two 43-year-olds from 1999 (88cm) and 2008 (96cm), and a 41-year-old from 1999 (97cm).
The program also revealed that in 2022, a commercial fisher donated “what’s now the largest Stripey we’ve got on file – a 103cm, 33-year-old fish caught off Tassie’s North West Coast.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t know the sex of this donated fish as it was gutted,” they said.
“Therefore, if possible, donating fish with guts intact is helpful so we can identify the sex.”
“Donating your fish frames to IMAS will help us continue research that supports sustainable fisheries, and perhaps we will find out just how old and big these fish can get.”
