Blue Shark: Age and growth from ICCAT conventional tag data

This paper analyzes conventional blue shark tagging-recapture records available in the ICCAT database, providing estimates on the growth of this species. Sensitivity analyses were tested selecting different datasets, several transformation equations between TL and FL, a wide range of FL0 values and applying different fitting models. Growth results were compared with each other and with those described by other authors. Historical FLmax values were also reviewed and discussed. The results obtained using several non-linear fits were very similar to each other and generally produced growth models with higher k values and faster growth than those described by other authors using reading-interpretations on vertebrae.