North Atlantic albacore age determination and growth have been studied by means of different methodologies (i.e. otholiths, scales, vertebrae, spines, size frequency analysis and tagging). Depending on the authors and the methodology used, results vary to some extent (reviewed in Santiago 2004). The growth model adopted by ICCAT for North Atlantic albacore was obtained by Bard (1981) from spines analyses. However, when it comes to transforming catch-by-size into catch-by-age, ICCAT makes use of the equation derived by size frequency analysis using Multifan (Anon. 1996), which predicts similar mean lengths at age. Recently, Santiago (2004) proposed a new growth model integrating spines and tagging information (L∞=122.198; K=0.209; to=-1.338)

In the South Atlantic, Lee and Yeh (1993) estimated a growth curve using spines, but Bard’s (1981) growth equation for the North Atlantic stock is also used by ICCAT for transforming catch at size into catch at age. The estimated parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth models adopted by ICCAT are given in Table 1.
Regarding the Mediterranean albacore, recently a comprehensive study based on 1136 spine readings from albacore between 57 and 92 cm FL yielded the following von Bertallanfy growth parameter estimates: Lœ = 94.7 cm; k=0.258 y-1; to= -1.354 y (Megalofonou, 2000).