Age of the Trigger Fish Balistes Carolinensis Through the reading of the otholith and the first dorsal spine.

The age of 48 specimen of Balistes carolinensis (Osteichthyes, Balistidae), caught in the Straits of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea, Italy), was estimated through the analysis of the otoliths and the section of the first dorsal spine. The less difficulty in taking the first backbone compared to the extraction of the otolith, suggests that, as regards Balistes carolinensis, the reading of the first dorsal spine section is an alternative and efficient method compared to the otolith rings counting.