scholarly journals Vertical migration in adult Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 1747-1760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Espen Strand ◽  
Geir Huse

We investigate the trade-offs associated with vertical migration and swimming speed of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) using an adaptive individual-based model. Simulations with varying distribution and occurrence of prey, with and without swimbladder constraints, and visual predation were performed. Most simulations resulted in cod migrations between the bottom and pelagic zones. In simulations with high probability of encountering pelagic prey, the cod spent the daytime in the pelagic zone, moving to the bottom to feed only when no pelagic prey were encountered. At night the cod stayed in the pelagic zone to attain neutral buoyancy. In simulations with low occurrence of pelagic prey or high visual predation pressure, the cod remained at the bottom feeding on the consistently present benthic prey. If the pelagic prey occurred far above the sea floor or there were no benthic prey, the cod abandoned all bottom contact. The study thus predicts that the probability of encountering energy-rich pelagic prey is the key factor in driving vertical migration in adult cod. Buoyancy regulation is further shown to be an important constraint on vertical migration.

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 866-876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Harrald ◽  
Peter J. Wright ◽  
Francis C. Neat

The North Sea stock of Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua ) is comprised of a number of subcomponents that differ both genetically and phenotypically. A potential cause for such spatial variability is adaptive divergence, which may be linked to differences in thermal environment and (or) historical fishing pressure. Here we present evidence that spatial variation in maturity–size relationships in the wild has a significant intrinsic component. Using a common-environment experiment on wild-caught juveniles raised through to maturity, we demonstrate that cod from the southern North Sea (SNS) mature at larger sizes than those from the northwestern North Sea (NWNS) despite broadly similar growth rates. Consistent with these experimental results, year-class-specific maturity ogives for recent maturing year classes (1999–2001) suggested that the length at which 50% of females reached maturity was 11 cm greater for SNS than for NWNS cod. Under a common environment, smaller female size at maturity partly reflected higher relative liver weight, with NWNS females having a higher relative liver weight than SNS females. By investigating maturation under controlled conditions, our study provides evidence for life history trade-offs in energy allocation between growth, energy storage, and reproduction that may underlie the spatial variation observed in the field.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 1106-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arild Folkvord ◽  
Christian Jørgensen ◽  
Knut Korsbrekke ◽  
Richard D.M. Nash ◽  
Trygve Nilsen ◽  
...  

Animals partition and trade off their resources between competing needs such as growth, maintenance, and reproduction. Over a lifetime, allocation strategies should result in distinct trajectories for growth, survival, and reproduction, but such longitudinal individual data are difficult to reconstruct for wild animals and especially marine fish. We were able to reconstruct two of these trajectories in wild-caught Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua) females: size-at-age was back-calculated from otolith growth increments, and recent spawning history was reconstructed from postovulatory follicles and present oocyte development. Our findings indicate distinct trade-offs between length growth and reproduction. Fish that sexually matured early had attained a larger size at age 3 than immatures, but onset of reproduction caused slower growth compared with immatures. We found that 6- and 7-year-old females skipping spawning grew significantly more in the year of missed spawning than females spawning for the second consecutive year. The latter tentatively supports the hypothesis that skipped spawning may occur as an adaptive life-history strategy, given the potential future fecundity gain with increased size.


1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 1834-1841 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Tupper ◽  
R. G. Boutilier

Settlement and growth of age 0+ cod were monitored using snorkel and self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) in four distinct habitat types (sand, seagrass, cobble, and rock reef) in St. Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia. Newly settled cod were marked with acrylic dye, allowing repeated visual length estimates of individual fish. Settlement of cod did not differ between habitat types, but postsettlement survival and subsequent juvenile densities were higher in more structurally complex habitats. These differences appear to be due to increased shelter availability and decreased predator efficiency in structurally complex habitats. Growth rate was highest in seagrass beds, while the efficiency of cod predators was lowest and cod survival was highest on rocky reefs and cobble bottoms. Thus, trade-offs occur between energy gain and predation risk. In St. Margaret's Bay, the population structure of Atlantic cod may be less influenced by patterns of larval supply than by postsettlement processes such as habitat-specific growth and mortality.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 20141032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca E. Holt ◽  
Christian Jørgensen

The difference between maximum metabolic rate and standard metabolic rate is referred to as aerobic scope, and because it constrains performance it is suggested to constitute a key limiting process prescribing how fish may cope with or adapt to climate warming. We use an evolutionary bioenergetics model for Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua ) to predict optimal life histories and behaviours at different temperatures. The model assumes common trade-offs and predicts that optimal temperatures for growth and fitness lie below that for aerobic scope; aerobic scope is thus a poor predictor of fitness at high temperatures. Initially, warming expands aerobic scope, allowing for faster growth and increased reproduction. Beyond the optimal temperature for fitness, increased metabolic requirements intensify foraging and reduce survival; oxygen budgeting conflicts thus constrain successful completion of the life cycle. The model illustrates how physiological adaptations are part of a suite of traits that have coevolved.


2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Legault ◽  
Michael C. Palmer

Traditionally, the natural mortality rate (M) in a stock assessment is assumed to be constant. When M increases within an assessment, the question arises how to change the fishing mortality rate target (FTarget). Per recruit considerations lead to an increase in FTarget, while limiting total mortality leads to a decrease in FTarget. Application of either approach can result in nonsensical results. Short-term gains in yield associated with high FTarget values should be considered in light of potential losses in future yield if the high total mortality rate leads to a decrease in recruitment. Examples using yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are used to demonstrate that FTarget can change when M increases within an assessment and to illustrate the consequences of different FTarget values. When a change in M within an assessment is contemplated, first consider the amount and strength of empirical evidence to support the change. When the empirical evidence is not strong, we recommend using a constant M. If strong empirical evidence exists, we recommend estimating FTarget for a range of stock–recruitment relationships and evaluating the trade-offs between risk of overfishing and forgone yield.


2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (8) ◽  
pp. 1380-1389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Velmurugu Puvanendran ◽  
Karine Salies ◽  
Benjamin Laurel ◽  
Joseph A Brown

Most marine fish larvae are thought to be gape-limited predators, and the presence of suitably sized prey at the appropriate time in the foraging environment is a key factor for their growth and survival. Two experiments were carried out: in experiment 1, we investigated feeding of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L., 1758) larvae from 5 to 35 days post hatch on prey of three different sizes: two different-sized strains of rotifers, small rotifers (SR) and large rotifers (LR), and Artemia Leach, 1819 nauplii (AN), or an equal mixture of the three types of prey (MIX). In experiment 2, cod larvae were fed SR, LR, or a combination of SR and LR (MIX-R) at concentrations of 1500 and 4000 prey·L–1 from 4 to 20 days post hatch. Feeding incidence, number of prey in the gut, mouth gape, and prey selection were measured. In experiment 1, feeding incidence was initially higher in the SR treatment, while larvae failed to start feeding in either the LR or the AN treatment at 5 dph. Larvae in the LR treatment started feeding at 8 dph, and feeding incidence was comparable to that in the SR treatment, but the total number of prey eaten was higher in the SR than in the LR treatment until 20 dph. Larvae did not start feeding on AN until 26 dph, although they attacked them from 5 dph. In the MIX-R treatment in experiment 2, larvae fed selectively on LR at 4000 prey·L–1, whereas no selection was observed at 1500 prey·L–1. Our results suggest that cod larvae are gape-limited predators and the concentration of prey affects prey selection.


1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 1302-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald S. Clark ◽  
John M. Green

Juvenile (3-year-old) Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from Broad Cove, Conception Bay, Newfoundland, exhibit seasonal variation in temperature preference. Laboratory studies show that juvenile cod from ambient temperature water prefer temperatures that correlate closely with seasonal changes in the temperature of the inshore waters that they inhabit. A similar pattern is shown by fish held in 10 °C water over winter, indicating that variation in temperature preference is not simply a response to changing ambient temperatures but occurs in an anticipatory manner that allows them to maintain their physiologically optimal temperature at a seasonally appropriate level. The results also support the hypothesis that the diel vertical migration of juvenile cod in summer increases energetic efficiency by reducing metabolic costs in nonfeeding hours.


2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 1205-1211 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Rose

Abstract Rose, G. A. 2009. Variations in the target strength of Atlantic cod during vertical migration. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1205–1211. Experiments conducted at sea in June 1999 and January 2000 indicated that the mean target strength (TS) of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) varies not just with length, but also with pressure (depth) and fish orientation, particularly during vertical migration. In June, when fish were migrating and spawning, vertical migration was pronounced, extending up to 150 m off the seabed, and the associated TS declined by as much as 5 dB. In January, when the fish were located nearer the seabed, mean TS was more stable and matched a conventional model of TS vs. length [L, cm; i.e. TS = 20 log(L) − 66] based on measurements of ex situ fish orientated horizontally and positioned at close range. This paper demonstrates that mean TS is inversely related (p < 0.05) to the range off the seabed (r, m), which includes 90% of fish. Based on this finding, a new multivariate TS model is proposed: TS = 20 log(L) − 65 − 0.05 r. In this model, r is a proxy for swimbladder volume and fish orientation. A survey in May 2007 found that cod (mean L = 63 cm) dispersed in such a way that single targets could be resolved up to 100 m from the seabed. Measurements of TS of in situ individual fish (TSindividual) and mean TS inferred from a comparison of area-backscattering coefficients (sa) and count-based densities (TSindirect) were positively correlated with a slope not different from unity. Means of these TS estimates were −32.4 and −32.2 dB, respectively, or ∼2.3 dB less than that predicted by the conventional model. In contrast, the new multivariate model predicts TS = −32.5 dB, which is nearly identical with the means of TSindividual and TSindirect.


2014 ◽  
Vol 514 ◽  
pp. 217-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
HY Wang ◽  
LW Botsford ◽  
JW White ◽  
MJ Fogarty ◽  
F Juanes ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 883-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo C. Lazado ◽  
Christopher Marlowe A. Caipang ◽  
Sanchala Gallage ◽  
Monica F. Brinchmann ◽  
Viswanath Kiron

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