title: Shrinking fish: comparisons of prehistoric and contemporary salmonids indicate decreasing size at age across millennia.
abstract: A comparison of Upper Palaeolithic and contemporary salmonid vertebrae from the Iberian Peninsula indicates that there has been a significant decrease in the mean body size for a given age among Atlantic salmon and brown trout inhabiting the southernmost range of their endemic distribution. Mean size at age was greater in prehistoric specimens for all age classes during the freshwater phase of their life histories. Fisheries-induced evolution (selection for smaller sizes) is an obvious explanation for the observed reduction in fish body size, but recent changes in the aquatic habitat affecting density-dependent growth cannot be ruled out.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geology , University of Oviedo , C/ Jess Arias de Velasco, s/n. 33005, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Turrero
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Biology , University of Oviedo , C/ Julián Clavería, s/n. 33006, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Vázquez
authors.affiliation: Department of BioSciences , Swansea University , Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.
authors.forename: Carlos Garcia
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: de Leaniz
keywords: Atlantic salmon; Palaeolithic; back-calculation; brown trout; size at age