scholarly journals Prey selection by North Sea herring (Clupea harengus), with special reference to fish eggs

2006 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. H. I. D. Segers ◽  
M. Dickey-Collas ◽  
A. D. Rijnsdorp
Keyword(s):  
Special Reference ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Fish Eggs ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea

Abstract Segers, F. H. I. D, Dickey-Collas, M., and Rijnsdorp, A. D. 2007. Prey selection by North Sea herring (Clupea harengus), with special reference to fish eggs. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 60–68. he herring stock in the North Sea in recent years has recovered to a relatively high biomass, and here we investigate prey selection of individual North Sea herring when population numbers are high. The diet composition, and specifically pelagic fish eggs, was investigated in February 2004. Samples of herring from the International Bottom Trawl Survey were used for stomach analysis, and ichthyoplankton samples from the southern North Sea were used to investigate selection. Crustaceans were the main diet component. The average diameter of the fish eggs recovered from the stomachs was significantly larger than that of the eggs collected in the field. In addition, the frequency at which the latest developmental stages occurred in the herring stomachs was significantly different from the frequency at which these stages were found in the field. This shows selective foraging. There was a relationship between the amount of food and the number of eggs in a herring stomach: the fullest stomachs tended to contain fewer fish eggs. This suggests that herring forage on eggs when other prey are not available. Hence, it is likely that the dynamics of multiple trophic levels influence the ecological impact of a large herring stock on the North Sea ecosystem.

scholarly journals Spatial interactions between saithe (Pollachius virens) and hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the North Sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 1342-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xochitl Cormon ◽  
Christophe Loots ◽  
Sandrine Vaz ◽  
Youen Vermard ◽  
Paul Marchal
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Spatial Interactions ◽  
Merluccius Merluccius ◽  
The North ◽  
Sediment Types ◽  
The North Sea

Spatial interactions between saithe (Pollachius virens) and hake (Merluccius merluccius) were investigated in the North Sea. Saithe is a well-established species in the North Sea, while occurrence of the less common hake has recently increased in the area. Spatial dynamics of these two species and their potential spatial interactions were explored using binomial generalized linear models (GLM) applied to the International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS) data from 1991 to 2012. Models included different types of variables: (i) abiotic variables including sediment types, temperature, and bathymetry; (ii) biotic variables including potential competitors and potential preys presence; and (iii) spatial variables. The models were reduced and used to predict and map probable habitats of saithe, hake but also, for the first time in the North Sea, the distribution of the spatial overlap between these two species. Changes in distribution patterns of these two species and of their overlap were also investigated by comparing species’ presence and overlap probabilities predicted over an early (1991–1996) and a late period (2007–2012). The results show an increase in the probability over time of the overlap between saithe and hake along with an expansion towards the southwest and Scottish waters. These shifts follow trends observed in temperature data and might be indirectly induced by climate changes. Saithe, hake, and their overlap are positively influenced by potential preys and/or competitors, which confirms spatial co-occurrence of the species concerned and leads to the questions of predator–prey relationships and competition. Finally, the present study provides robust predictions concerning the spatial distribution of saithe, hake, and of their overlap in the North Sea, which may be of interest for fishery managers.

scholarly journals Metabarcoding reveals different zooplankton communities in northern and southern areas of the North Sea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Niklas Macher ◽  
Berry B. van der Hoorn ◽  
Katja T. C. A. Peijnenburg ◽  
Lodewijk van Walraven ◽  
Willem Renema
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
List Type ◽  
The North ◽  
Shelf Sea ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Zooplankton Communities

AbstractZooplankton are key players in marine ecosystems, linking primary production to higher trophic levels. The high abundance and high taxonomic diversity renders zooplankton ideal for biodiversity monitoring. However, taxonomic identification of the zooplankton assemblage is challenging due to its high diversity, subtle morphological differences and the presence of many meroplanktonic species, especially in coastal seas. Molecular techniques such as metabarcoding can help with rapid processing and identification of taxa in complex samples, and are therefore promising tools for identifying zooplankton communities. In this study, we applied metabarcoding of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene to zooplankton samples collected along a latitudinal transect in the North Sea, a shelf sea of the Atlantic Ocean. Northern regions of the North Sea are influenced by inflow of oceanic Atlantic waters, whereas the southern parts are characterised by more coastal waters. Our metabarcoding results indicated strong differences in zooplankton community composition between northern and southern areas of the North Sea, particularly in the classes Copepoda, Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and Polychaeta. We compared these results to the known distributions of species reported in previous studies, and by comparing the abundance of copepods to data obtained from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR). We found that our metabarcoding results are mostly congruent with the reported distribution and abundance patterns of zooplankton species in the North Sea. Our results highlight the power of metabarcoding to rapidly assess complex zooplankton samples, and we suggest that the technique could be used in future monitoring campaigns and biodiversity assessments.HighlightsZooplankton communities are different in northern and southern areas of the North SeaMetabarcoding results are consistent with known species distributions and abundanceMetabarcoding allows for fast identification of meroplanktonic species

scholarly journals Opportunistically recorded acoustic data support Northeast Atlantic mackerel expansion theory

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 1115-1126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeroen van der Kooij ◽  
Sascha M.M. Fässler ◽  
David Stephens ◽  
Lisa Readdy ◽  
Beth E. Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Northeast Atlantic ◽  
Acoustic Data ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Northern North Sea ◽  
Feeding Grounds

Abstract Fisheries independent monitoring of widely distributed pelagic fish species which conduct large seasonal migrations is logistically complex and expensive. One of the commercially most important examples of such a species in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean is mackerel for which up to recently only an international triennial egg survey contributed to the stock assessment. In this study, we explore whether fisheries acoustic data, recorded opportunistically during the English component of the North Sea International Bottom Trawl Survey, can contribute to an improved understanding of mackerel distribution and provide supplementary data to existing dedicated monitoring surveys. Using a previously published multifrequency acoustic mackerel detection algorithm, we extracted the distribution and abundance of schooling mackerel for the whole of the North Sea during August and September between 2007 and 2013. The spatio-temporal coverage of this unique dataset is of particular interest because it includes part of the unsurveyed summer mackerel feeding grounds in the northern North Sea. Recent increases in landings in Icelandic waters during this season suggested that changes have occurred in the mackerel feeding distribution. Thus far it is poorly understood whether these changes are due to a shift, i.e. mackerel moving away from their traditional feeding grounds in the northern North Sea and southern Norwegian Sea, or whether the species' distribution has expanded. We therefore explored whether acoustically derived biomass of schooling mackerel declined in the northern North Sea during the study period, which would suggest a shift in mackerel distribution rather than an expansion. The results of this study show that in the North Sea, schooling mackerel abundance has increased and that its distribution in this area has not changed over this period. Both of these findings provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence in support of the hypothesis that mackerel have expanded their distribution rather than moved away.

scholarly journals Reconstruction of Atlantic herring ( Clupea harengus ) recruitment in the North Sea for the past 455 years based on the δ 13 C from annual shell increments of the ocean quahog ( Arctica islandica )

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Estrella‐Martínez ◽  
Bernd R. Schöne ◽  
Ruth H. Thurstan ◽  
Elisa Capuzzo ◽  
James D. Scourse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Arctica Islandica ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea

scholarly journals Synchronous ecological regime shifts in the central Baltic and the North Sea in the late 1980s

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1205-1215 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Alheit ◽  
C. Möllmann ◽  
J. Dutz ◽  
G. Kornilovs ◽  
P. Loewe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Regime Shifts ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Copepod Species ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Low Levels

Abstract The index of the North Atlantic Oscillation, the dominant mode of climatic variability in the North Atlantic region, changed in the late 1980s (1987–1989) from a negative to a positive phase. This led to regime shifts in the ecology of the North Sea (NS) and the central Baltic Sea (CBS), which involved all trophic levels in the pelagial of these two neighbouring continental shelf seas. Increasing air and sea surface temperatures, which affected critical physical and biological processes, were the main direct and indirect driving forces. After 1987, phytoplankton biomass in both systems increased and the growing season was extended. The composition of phyto- and zooplankton communities in both seas changed conspicuously, e.g. dinoflagellate abundance increased and diatom abundance decreased in the CBS. Key copepod species that are essential in fish diets experienced pronounced changes in biomass. Abundance of Calanus finmarchicus (NS) and Pseudocalanus sp. (CBS) fell to low levels, whereas C. helgolandicus (NS) and Temora longicornis and Acartia spp. (CBS) were persistently abundant. These changes in biomass of different copepod species had dramatic consequences on biomass, fisheries, and landings of key fish species: North Sea cod declined, cod in the CBS remained at low levels, and CBS sprat reached unprecedented high biomass levels resulting in high yields. The synchronous regime shifts in NS and CBS resulted in profound changes in both marine ecosystems. However, the reaction of fish populations to the bottom-up mechanisms caused by the same climatic shift was very different for the three fish stocks.

Spatial and temporal dynamics of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the North Sea

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 2033-2044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arved Staby ◽  
Jon Egil Skjæraasen ◽  
Audrey J Geffen ◽  
Daniel Howell
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Merluccius Merluccius ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Northern North Sea ◽  
Central North Sea ◽  
European Hake

Abstract Catches of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the North Sea have increased substantially during the last decade, even though there is no directed commercial fishery of hake in this area. We analysed the spatial distributions of hake in the northern the parts of its range, (where it is less well-studied), using ICES international bottom trawl survey data from 1997 to 2015. We examine length-frequency distributions for (i) distinct modes enabling the assignment of fish into categories which likely corresponded to the ages 1, 2, and 3+ and (ii) patterns of seasonal spatial distribution for the different groups. Age categories 1 and 2 fish were most abundant in the northern North Sea, and appear to remain in the North Sea until 2 years of age, when they move into deeper waters. Their distribution has expanded into the western-central North Sea in the last decade. Age category 3+ fish were most abundant in the northern and central North Sea during summer, indicating a seasonal influx of large individuals into this area likely associated with spawning activity. The distribution of these older fish has gradually expanded westward in both seasons.

scholarly journals Inaccuracies in routinely collected Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) maturity data and correction using a gonadosomatic index model

2011 ◽  
Vol 91 (7) ◽  
pp. 1477-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay R. McPherson ◽  
Konstantinos Ganias ◽  
C. Tara Marshall
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Gonadosomatic Index ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Implicit Assumption ◽  
Multinomial Regression ◽  
Index Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Spawning Stock ◽  
The North Sea

Macroscopic maturity staging data are widely used to distinguish between reproductive and non-reproductive individuals. The implicit assumption is that these data are accurate. The accuracy of macroscopic maturity staging of North Sea herring (Clupea harengus) has not been checked since the macroscopic scale was produced in 1961. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of macroscopic maturity staging of female North Sea herring by comparison to histological staging and the gonadosomatic index (GSI). Ovary samples were collected during the North Sea Herring Acoustic Survey in 2006 on-board FRV ‘Scotia’ (Scotland) and in 2007 on-board FRV ‘Scotia’ and RV ‘Johan Hjort’ (Norway). Commercial samples were also collected by Marine Scotland, Aberdeen in both years. The maturity staging error was relatively low in 2006 (21% error) but was much higher on-board FRV ‘Scotia’ (57%) and RV ‘Johan Hjort’ (47%) in 2007. There was estimated to be a 27% under-estimation of the spawning stock biomass (SSB) in 2007 due to the differences in the proportion mature but no change in SSB estimates in 2006. GSI cut-off scores, estimated by means of multinomial regression models were successfully able to separate immature females from both mature-active and recovering females; however, there was some overlap between the mature-active and recovering individuals. We conclude that an effective and low-cost means of reducing error in herring maturity studies is the combined use of a four-point macroscopic maturity scale with routinely collected GSI data, the latter acting to validate and fine tune macroscopic staging.

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