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