Learn How You Can Help Weakfish
Would you like to be involved in the conservation and management of weakfish? By joining the DEC Fish Ageing Network (FAN), you can do your part to help manage and maintain weakfish populations in our waters!
By joining the FAN, you will provide critical information from the recreational fishery helping fill age gaps in our weakfish data. By providing us with your filleted weakfish carcasses, we can measure and determine the age of the fish by extracting the ear bone (otolith). These ages and lengths are important to understanding the age structure of a fish population.
Volunteer anglers are provided with envelopes for weakfish otoliths and instructions on how to properly collect information. Read below for more information and to join the FAN.
Participate in the Fish Ageing Network
If you would like to participate in the Fish Ageing Network (FAN), and fish for weakfish in New York waters, please contact the Fishery Dependent Sampling unit at [email protected] or (631) 444-0454 to sign up.
Otoliths and Ageing
Otoliths are small ear bones found within the skulls of fish, located behind the brain. They help the fish balance and hear by picking up vibrations in the water. Every species has a different size and shaped otolith.
Otoliths continue to grow throughout a fish’s life. Each year, a fish will develop a growth ring (annuli) on their otoliths. We count the annuli to estimate the age of the individual fish, similar to counting rings on a tree.
Collecting Otoliths
We offer live demonstrations at our Kings Park office and can show you how to collect otoliths on your own. We will have dates and times listed here as they become available, and a reminder will be sent out to participating Fish Ageing Network members. If you are not comfortable taking these samples on your own, DEC staff can collect them for you. Give us a call or an email to schedule drop off or pick up of fish carcasses.
Submitting Otoliths
We are looking for:
- Your name
- Date of catch
- Length
- Gear used (e.g., rod & reel)
- Zone fished
All of the information above is listed on the envelope, making data collection a breeze.
Otolith envelopes can be mailed or dropped off to the Marine Resources Headquarters at 123 Kings Park Blvd. (Nissequogue River State Park) Kings Park, NY 11754
For zone, just select one of the five on the map below. We DO NOT need to know the exact location you fish.
Zone 1 (Orange): New Jersey Boundary to East Rockaway Inlet
Zone 2 (Yellow): Western Long Island Sound
Zone 3 (Green): South Oyster Bay, Great South Bay, East Rockaway Inlet to Smith's Point
Zone 4 (Red): Central Long Island Sound, Eastern Long Island Sound, Block Island Sound
Zone 5 (Purple): Moriches and Shinnecock Bays & Inlets, Montauk, Gardiners Bay, Peconic Bay, Outer Island Sound
