Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) Distributions in the Gulf of Maine – Scotian Shelf Area in Relation to Oceanographic Features

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 880-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sinclair ◽  
T. D. Iles
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Shelf Area ◽  
Larval Phase ◽  
Population Mixing ◽  
Plankton Production ◽  
Physical Features ◽  
Summer Feeding

There are clear, temporally persistent patterns in the spatial distributions of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) at various life history stages. Three areas of potential importance for summer feeding and overwintering and one juvenile nursery area are described. In contrast, there are several well-defined spawning locations and larval distributional areas. The distributional patterns infer considerable between-population mixing at all phases of the life history except at spawning time itself and during the first several months of the larval phase. The life history distributions are interpreted in relation to tidally induced oceanographic features of the area. The specific locations of spawning and the associated larval distributions are interpreted to be a function of the location of physical features associated with "larval retention." The summer-feeding areas are associated with the location of tidally induced temperature fronts where plankton production is high. The larval distributional areas are argued to be occupied in spite of their particular plankton characteristics rather than because of them. The observed distributions are not consistent with some fisheries biology theories.

Timing of Spawning of Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus harengus) Populations and the Match–Mismatch Theory

1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 1055-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sinclair ◽  
M. J. Tremblay
Keyword(s):  
Larval Growth ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Juvenile Form ◽  
Larval Phase ◽  
Spawning Period ◽  
Larval Retention ◽  
Clupea Harengus Harengus ◽  
Mismatch Theory ◽  
Timing Of Spawning

Each population of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus) has its own seasonally fixed spawning period of a few weeks duration, but the mean spawning times of different populations differ substantially. The extant theory explains the population-specific timing of spawning relative to the plankton production blooms in the inferred larval distributional area. Support of this theory is evaluated, and found lacking, in the light of a recent "stock" hypothesis involving larval retention. The new hypothesis involves two constraints. First, the larvae of a discrete herring population develop within, and are thus adapted to, the specific oceanographic conditions of their larval retention area. Second, metamorphosis from the larval to juvenile form occurs primarily within a restricted period of the year (April to October). Given these two constraints, it is hypothesized that the timing of spawning of a herring population is a function of the time necessary to complete the larval phase and yet metamorphose within the acceptable seasonal envelope. Populations that have "good" larval retention areas can spawn in the spring and still metamorphose within the seasonal envelope. Populations with larval retention areas that are less "good" for larval growth have to spawn earlier to satisfy the two constraints. The implications of the hypothesis on the "match–mismatch" theory are briefly discussed.

In situ acoustic estimates of the swimbladder volume of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus)

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Redwood W. Nero ◽  
Charles H. Thompson ◽  
J. Michael Jech
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Neutral Buoyancy ◽  
Fish Weight ◽  
Neutrally Buoyant ◽  
Boyle’S Law

Abstract Acoustic measurements at 1.5–5 kHz on fish in the Gulf of Maine showed a swimbladder-resonance peak near 2.5 kHz at 160–190-m depth. Midwater trawls confirmed that the fish were likely to be Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) of 19–29 cm length. Calculation using a model of swimbladder resonance gives swimbladder volumes of 1.2% of fish weight at 160–190 m. Extrapolation of this volume of gas using Boyle's Law suggests that at the sea surface, these herring would need to inflate their swimbladders by up to five to six times the volume required for neutral buoyancy. If these fish were to maintain this volume of gas with surface “gulping”, they would need to submerge from the sea surface with a 30% excess buoyancy. In general, swimbladders of the Clupeidae may have greater volumes of gas than if the fish were neutrally buoyant at the sea surface and the interpretation of HF-echosounder surveys may be additionally complex when the volume of gas and swimbladder volume are difficult to predict. Mechanisms of how herring obtain additional swimbladder gas are discussed.

scholarly journals Seabird diets as bioindicators of Atlantic herring recruitment and stock size: a new tool for ecosystem-based fisheries management

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 1215-1229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren C. Scopel ◽  
Antony W. Diamond ◽  
Stephen W. Kress ◽  
Adrian R. Hards ◽  
Paula Shannon
Keyword(s):  
Fishery Management ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Stock Biomass ◽  
Stock Assessments ◽  
Spawning Stock ◽  
Fishery Data ◽  
Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management

Ecosystem-based fishery management requires understanding of relationships between exploited fish and their predators, such as seabirds. We used exploratory regression analyses to model relationships between Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in the diet of seabird chicks at nine nesting colonies in the Gulf of Maine and four types of fishery- and survey-derived herring data. We found several strong relationships, which suggests spatial structuring in herring stocks and likely patterns of herring movements before they recruit into the fishery. Some types of herring data seldom used in stock assessments — notably acoustic surveys, fixed-gear landings, and mass-at-age (i.e., weight-at-age) — correlated as strongly with seabird data as more commonly used series, such as mobile-gear landings and modeled spawning stock biomass. Seabird chick diets collected at specific locations thus offer a promising means to assess the size, distribution, and abundance of juvenile herring across a broad area prior to recruitment, which is a major source of uncertainty in fisheries. Common terns (Sterna hirundo) showed the most potential as a bioindicator, correlating well and showing consistent spatial patterns with 11 of 13 fishery data series.

Environmental Effects on Recruitment, Growth, and Vulnerability of Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus harengus) in the Gulf of Maine Region

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (S1) ◽  
pp. s158-s173 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. C. Anthony ◽  
M. J. Fogarty
Keyword(s):  
Larval Development ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Population Analysis ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Virtual Population Analysis ◽  
Virtual Population ◽  
Spawning Stock ◽  
Clupea Harengus Harengus

Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus) recruitment in the Gulf of Maine since 1947 has varied by a ratio of 20 to 1. Since heavy fishing began in the mid-1960's, recruitment has fluctuated by only a factor of 9 to 1. The greatest fluctuations in recruitment, therefore, historically occurred in the absence of high fishing mortality. Recruitment predictions and understanding of the causes of fluctuations are extremely important, since strong year classes traditionally have sustained the herring fisheries in the Gulf of Maine. The effect of environmental variables (particularly temperature) on herring recruitment and growth were examined in detail. Vulnerability of Gulf of Maine herring in response to moon phase is also considered. Indices of abundance of Atlantic herring in the Gulf of Maine were calculated for three time periods using three different procedures. Indices of abundance for the periods of 1915–67 and 1951–81 indicated that productivity, or amount of recruitment per amount of spawning stock, was positively related to temperature or other factors (e.g. food availability) related to temperature at intermediate to high levels of spawning stock biomass. For the shorter and most recent time period (1965–81), abundance was calculated by virtual population analysis and an attempt was made to relate temperature effects during several periods in the first year of life to recruitment levels at age 2. The mean, maximum, and minimum water temperatures during (1) September–December (spawning – early larval development), (2) January–April (overwintering and late larval development), and (3) May–August (postlarval) periods were correlated with abundance. Significant effects of mean and minimum temperature during period 2 and minimum temperature during period 3 were observed, suggesting that environmental influences on determination of year class strength occur during late larval – early juvenile phases. Possible reasons for the discrepancy between the long-term analyses bases on abundance indices and the more detailed analyses using population size estimates based on virtual population analysis are discussed. An indication of environmental limitation is also shown by density-dependent growth. Growth appears to be related to both age 2 abundance and summer water temperature. When abundance is great, its effect overcomes the positive effect of temperature (or other factors indicated by temperature). The environment also alters the availability and vulnerability of herring to the inshore fisheries. Young herring are more available and vulnerable to fixed gear during the dark phase of the moon. This effect is pronounced when abundance is low.

Stock Definition in Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus harengus): Genetic Evidence for Discrete Fall and Spring Spawning Populations

1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 1610-1621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irv Kornfield ◽  
Bruce D. Sidell ◽  
P. S. Gagnon
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Starch Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Contingency Analysis ◽  
Gene Frequencies ◽  
Genetic Population ◽  
Starch Gel ◽  
Clupea Harengus Harengus

Ripe Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus) were sampled from seven discrete spawning grounds in the Gulf of Maine and Gulf of St. Lawrence over a period of 3 yr. Genetic polymorphisms were observed at 13 enzyme loci by starch gel electrophoresis. Five highly polymorphic loci were used to assess population structure of herring stocks by contingency analysis of log-likelihood differences in gene frequencies. Significant temporal variation was observed at several localities. Within both spring spawning and fall spawning populations, significant spatial heterogeneity was noted for particular years, but was not temporally stable. By contrast, overall heterogeneity between spring and fall spawning populations was highly significant indicating genetic isolation of spring spawning populations in the Gulf of St. Lawrence from fall spawning aggregates in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Gulf of Maine. The low levels of genetic heterogeneity and absence of both temporal stability within fall spawning samples and spatial stability among samples is not consistent with the existence of more than a single genetic population of fall spawning herring in the northwest Atlantic.Key words: Clupea harengus harengus, population genetics, biochemical genetic variation, stock differentiation

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