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