Extended longevity in a large-bodied stickleback, Gasterosteus, population

Abstract

Mark/recapture data combined with counts of pelvic spine annuli on adults of the large-bodied Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus ) at Drizzle Lake, Queen Charlotte Islands, demonstrate that adults do not die after the first breeding season (usually 2-3 y of age), as commonly assumed, but can reach 8 y of age. This is almost twice the known maximum age observed in any population within the five genera of Gasterosteidae.