Age, growth and maturity of blue shark (Prionace glauca) in the northwest Atlantic Ocean

Age, growth, and maturity estimates for the northwest Atlantic population of blue shark (Prionace glauca) were updated from previous studies with samples collected from 2002-2019. Growth rates from three models were developed from aged vertebrae and from tag-recaptured individuals and maturity estimated from aged sharks rather than back-transforming length into age from growth equations. The best fitting model was von Bertalanffy growth equation and the estimates were similar to those previously derived. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters (sexes combined) derived from vertebral length-at-age data are L∞ = 292 cm FL, K= 0.157 yr-1, and t0 =-1.80 yr-1 whereas those developed from the tag-recapture model were L∞ = 249 cm FL, K= 0.29 yr-1. The median size and age at maturity estimates were 197 cm FL and 4.9 years for males and 191 cm FL and 5.3 years for females. Overall, growth and maturity estimates for blue shark suggest the species is fast growing and matures earlier than many other species of sharks, in agreement with previously published estimates for this population.