Age and growth of the white flounder Paralichthys patagonicus (Jordan, 1889) were studied using sliced sagittae otoliths of 460 specimens collected from the commercial fishery along southem Brazil (1989 to 1991). The changes in the type of last band in formation and the marginal increments analysis showed that one translucent and one opaque zone were formed each year. Females attained larger totallength (TL) and older ages (630 mm, 13 yr) than males (527 mm, 11 yr). The parameters ofthe von Bertalanffy growth equations were: for females - TL∞,= 623.0 mm, K= 0.279 and t o = - 0.243 yr; for males - TL∞,= 534.1 mm, K= 0.214, to = - 1.589 yr and for pooled sexes - TL∞, = 609.1 mm, K= 0.255 and to = - 0.462 yr. Annual increments in weight increased up to the fourth year of life when most specimens already were sexually mature and both sexes attained around 30% of asymptotic weight and 70% of asymptotic total length. This species is liable to growth overfishing as metabolism shifis gradually from somatic growth to reproduction and potential growth afier sexual maturation is relatively high.
Age; Growth; Paralichthys patagonicus; Flounder; Brazil