Abstract

The cardinalfish Epigonus crassicaudus is a deep-demersal fish with commercial importance for the trawl fishery operating off central Chile. Previous analysis in age assignment, based on the whole otolith, determined the maximum age to be 15 years old. Although scarce data is available for the genus, other congeneric species might live up to 100 years. Using sagitta otolith transversal sections, we determined age to 1277 fish collected in central Chile between January and December 2008. Longevity was determined in 54 years old.