Does a snapshot show the whole picture? Intrinsic limitations to growth inference of the short lived and fast growing

Individual growth patterns in ecology are often determined from population field data through the use of regression and model selection inference analyses. However, such approaches are typically unable to provide insight into dynamic processes when based upon collections of ‘snapshot’ data that consist of only a single observation for each individual. We caution how model selection inference from size-at-age data may lead to growth models that are mis-specified in the case of species such as squid and fishes that display fast and variable growth and for which, field data of the early part of the lifespan are typically sparse and difficult to obtain.