Variability in Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) from the Northeast Atlantic: a Review of Seasonal and Environmental Influences on Various Attributes of the Flesh

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 2333-2342 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Malcolm Love

Fish to be used as food are judged on the nature of the texture, flavor, odor, surface appearance, and color of the fillet. Investigations on Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) have shown that all of these attributes can vary according to the season and the place where the fish were caught.Factors that influence one or more of the attributes are: firstly, the postmortem pH of the muscle, itself influenced by the supply of food and in some way by the body length; secondly, the lipid content, also influenced by feeding; and thirdly, the swimming activity of the fish.

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 1191-1197 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bang ◽  
P. Grønkjær ◽  
B. Lorenzen

Abstract Bang, A., Grønkjær, P., and Lorenzen, B. 2008. The relation between concentrations of ovarian trace elements and the body size of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1191–1197. Trace metals in the ovaries of fish are transferred from the female via the yolk to the offspring, which makes the early life stages susceptible to deleterious effects of potentially toxic elements contained in the ovaries. Here, the concentrations of 13 elements from the ovaries of 133 ripe female North Sea cod Gadus morhua weighing 0.2–18 kg were correlated with female size, accounting for differences in maturity and condition. Most elements were negatively correlated with the size variables weight, length and, especially, ovarian dry weight. Further, they were negatively correlated with maturity and condition. Many of the trace elements showed true size-dependence, but the correlations were generally weak. A linear discriminant analysis separated “small” and “large” fish at a length of 85 cm based on concentrations of Co, Mn, Se, and Zn, and correctly assigned 78 of 102 small fish and 23 of 31 large fish to their respective size category. This corresponds to an overall classification success of 75.9%. The results suggest that embryos and early larvae from small females are exposed to higher levels of potentially harmful metals. If the differences in trace element concentration influence survival success, this will add to the negative effects of size distribution truncation and declines in size-at-maturity experienced by many populations of cod.


2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. M. Borisov ◽  
A. A. Elizarov ◽  
V. D. Nesterov

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 1793-1800 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Poynton ◽  
J. Lom

Trichodina murmanica Polyanskiy, 1955 (= Trichodina domerguei subsp. saintjohnsi Lom and Laird, 1969) and Trichodina cooperi n.sp. were commonly encountered on skin and fins of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. A third species of Trichodina, probably new, was recorded from the skin of one fish. This is believed to be the first report of the genus Trichodina from the body surface of gadoid fish from eastern Canada, and the known geographic range of T. murmanica is extended. Trichodina cooperi n.sp. has an adoral ciliary spiral of 370–380° and is relatively large, the mean diameter of the body is 110 μm, of the adhesive disc (with dark center), 95 μm, and of the denticulate ring, 59 μm. The denticulate ring consists of 24–29 denticles (usually 27), with 7–9 radial pins per denticle. Each denticle has a broad blade, a large central part, and a slightly curved thorn of moderate to broad width, with a central rib when mature. The thorn is approximately twice the length of the blade. The horseshoe-shaped macronucleus has a diameter of 80.0 μm and the micronucleus is in the +y position. Trichodina spp. infected 26% of 39 wild fish 20 to < 60 cm long. Most wild fish yielded less than five ciliates per 24 × 50 mm smear.


1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 2411-2413 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. V. Tyler

Juvenile Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, were forced to swim at speeds of 0.07, 0.6, and 1.2 body lengths/s after eating measured quantities of food. Higher speeds could not be maintained for more than 2 days. Only the highest speed caused a decrease in gastric emptying rate, but the decrease was not of sufficient magnitude to interfere with ration estimates based on digestion rate data. Key words: feeding, swimming speed, digestion rate


2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 1557-1569 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. de Haan ◽  
J. E. Fosseidengen ◽  
P. G. Fjelldal ◽  
D. Burggraaf ◽  
A. D. Rijnsdorp

Abstract In the North Sea flatfish fishery, electric pulse trawls have been introduced to replace the conventional mechanical method. Pulse trawls reduce the fuel consumption, reduce adverse impact on the ecosystem but cause injuries in gadoids. We describe the design and electrical properties of pulse trawls currently in use and study the behavioural response and injuries in cod exposed to electrical pulses under controlled conditions. Pulse trawls operate at an average power of 0.7 kW m−1 beam length and a duty cycle of ∼2%. The electric field is heterogeneous with highest field strength occurring close to the conductors. Cod were exposed to three different pulse types for a range of field strengths, frequencies, and duty cycles. Two size classes were tested representing cod that escape through the meshes (11–17 cm) and market-sized cod that are retained in the net (34–56 cm). Cod exposed to a field strength of ≥37 V m−1 responded by moderate-to-strong muscular contractions. Some of the large cod (n = 260) developed haemorrhages and fractures in the spine, and haemal and neural arches in the tail part of the body. The probability of injuries increased with field strength and decreased when frequency was increased from 100 to 180 Hz. None of the small cod (n = 132) were injured and all survived. The field strength at the lateral boundaries of the trawl was too low to inflict injuries in cod.


1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
pp. 2635-2647 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Brattey ◽  
Claude A. Bishop

Larvae of Anisakis simplex were found in the flesh of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, collected in 21 regions around Newfoundland and Labrador during 1985–87. Prevalence and abundance increased with cod size and varied geographically; cod off Labrador had the fewest larvae whereas those from the south coast of Newfoundland were the most heavily infected. Most larvae (~95%) occurred in flesh surrounding the body cavity (napes), with a significantly higher percentage of the nematodes (~58%) in the flesh on the left side. In 505 cod in which all tissues were examined, 85.6, 10.8, and 3.5% of the A. simplex resided in the body cavity and viscera, napes, and fillets, respectively. Cod surveyed tended to have more A. simplex in the musculature than those from other areas off eastern Canada, but are lightly infected compared with most other Atlantic cod stocks. The examination method (candling combined with slicing) recovered, on average, 42% of the A. simplex present in the flesh; consequently, infection statistics reported here are underestimates. Numbers of A. simplex in cod off Labrador and eastern Newfoundland are similar to those observed during 1947–53, but the abundance of A. simplex appears to have increased among cod from NAFO Subdivision 3Pn.


1994 ◽  
Vol 197 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Schurmann ◽  
J Steffensen

The spontaneous swimming activity of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua was investigated at graded levels of hypoxia at three temperatures (5, 10 and 15 &deg;C) by using a computerized system monitoring animal activity. The fish were tested individually, and swimming distance was used as a measure of activity. No significant effect of temperature on swimming distance in normoxic water was found. At all temperatures, activity level decreased with decreasing oxygen saturation. Swimming behaviour at normoxia and 50 % and 25 % oxygen saturation is described. No apparent avoidance of hypoxic water was found based on the distribution of swimming speeds and turning angles. The possible benefits of a decreased activity level in a hypoxic environment are discussed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 105 (6) ◽  
pp. 846-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Hamre ◽  
I. M. Lukram ◽  
I. Rønnestad ◽  
A. Nordgreen ◽  
Ø. Sæle

The hypothesis of the present study was that cod larvae have a limitation in lipid digestion, and that absorption of lipids would increase by pre-hydrolysation. The diets used were designed to contain 15 % lipid, of which 40 % was phosphatidylcholine (PC) and 60 % was TAG. Cod larvae (40 d post hatch (dph)) were fed a single meal where either PC or TAG was radioactively labelled, and the labelled PC or TAG was either intact or hydrolysed (pre-digested). The larvae were then incubated individually in chambers with collection of CO2 for 10 h. The following fractions were analysed for radioactivity: the incubation water (evacuated feed); the intestine; the body; the CO2 trap. The larvae ate a 16–29 μg diet, equivalent to 3·4–5·2 % of dry body weight. In the whole population, 0–16 % of the lipid was evacuated. The larvae that had eaten less than 1·9–2·7 μg lipid absorbed close to 100 % of the lipid, absorption being defined conservatively as the amount contained in the carcass and CO2, excluding the intestinal tissue. In these larvae, approximately 100 % of the absorbed lipid was also catabolised. In the larvae that ingested more than 1·9–2·7 μg lipid, there was a linear reduction in lipid absorption to a minimum of 55 % at the highest lipid intakes parallel to an increasing retention of lipids in the carcass. There were only minor differences in digestion, absorption, retention and metabolism of lipids between the larvae fed the different diets, and the larvae tended to retain lipid classes as they were present in the feed. The study shows that 40-dph Atlantic cod larvae have an efficient utilisation of dietary lipids supplied as intact PC and TAG.


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