Two young Kahawai (Arripis trutta, Arripidae) were introduced into the Napier Aquarium (New Zealand) in 1975 as presumed 1-2 year old fish about 25 cm total length. One fish died in 1987 from apparent senescence, the other died in 1989 with symptoms of senescence that included locomotory dysfunction, exophthalmia and fusion of the spinal vertebrae into a rigid mass. Both fish were aged by scale annual marks: the first was aged at 14 years, the second at 16 years; both being the expected age. The patterns of spacing of scale age marks (annual checks) in the first fish corresponded to the known temperature fluctuations in the aquarium. The otolith contained 20 checks in the sulcul part of the otolith of the type that have been regarded as annual in this and other species. The otolith of the second fish also contained 19 to 20 annual type check rings in the sulcul part of the otolith. Fifty, or more, checks that correspond to those specifically described by other workers as annual in the Kahawai otolith were observed in the ventral anti-sulcul growth axis of the otolith. A map of the calcium density of a cross section of the first fish otolith by proton microprobe showed fourteen peaks whose widths corresponded to those of the annual checks of the scale.