Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

How Old Is Your Fish?

Using age estimates for fish of known length, fish biologists develop what is known as an age-length key. An age-length key describes the relationship between a fish's age and length - meaning we can estimate the age of a fish by its length. Use our keys below to find out the age of your catch!

Bluefish  |  Black Sea Bass  |  Summer Flounder (Fluke)  |  Winter Flounder  |  Tautog (Blackfish)  |  Scup (Porgy)  |  Weakfish  |  Hickory Shad  |  Striped Bass

Bluefish
Age (years) Length (inches) 
 1  7
 2  14
 3  20
 4  26
 5  30
 6  34
 7  35
 8  36
 9  37
 10  38

 

Black Sea Bass
Age (years) Length (inches)
1 5
2 10
3 12
4 13.5
5 15
6 17
7 18.5
8 19
9 20
10 21

 

Summer Flounder (Fluke)
Age (years) Length (inches)
1 12
2 16
3 18
4 21
5 22
6 23.5
7 25
8 26
9 27
10 28
11  29
12  30

 

Winter Flounder
Age (years) Length (inches)
1 5
2 8
3 11
4 12
5 13
6 14
7 15
8 16
9 17
10 18
11 19
12 20

 

Tautog (Blackfish)
Age (years) Length (inches)
1 3
2 6
3 9
4 11
5 13
6 15
7 17
8 19
9 21
10 22
11 23
12 24

 

Scup (Porgy)
Age (years) Length (inches)
1 4
2 6
3 8
4 10
5 11
6 12
7 13
8 14
9 15
10 16

 

Weakfish
Age (years) Length (inches)
1 8
2 15
3 18
4 22
5 25
6 26
7 27
8 28
9 29
10 30
11 31
12 32

 

Hickory Shad
Age (years) Length (inches)
1 4
2 8
3 12
4 14
5 16
6 17
7 18
8 19
9 20
10 21

 

Striped Bass
Age (years) Length (inches)
1 8
2 16
3 18
4 21
5 23
6 25
7 27
8 29
9 31
10 34
11 36
12 37
13 38
14 39
15 40
16 41
17 42
18 43
19 44
20 45

 

Content last updated March 2020