The other option is to test the otoliths if you catch a really big one a decade from now and determine its true age.
(Do we have anyone on the forum that could do that if you minimally prepared the sample correctly?)
I can pour mold and inspect cut otoliths, but they have to be extracted pretty cleanly.
I guarantee I DO NOT know how to extract them cleanly.
Is it possible to just cut off the fish head, pack it in dry ice, and ship it to the examiner?
