Age Validation and Aging Methods for Stunted Brook Trout

I used oxytetracycline to produce a time mark in the otoliths of stunted brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis captured in alpine lakes in the Sierra Nevada, California. Discernible annual features were present in otoliths ground to the sagittal midplane by means of a simple grinding technique. Age determinations made with cross sections were similar to those made with sagittal sections, suggesting that deposition continues on most surfaces of the otolith throughout the life of a stunted brook trout.