scholarly journals Cross-frontal variation in growth rate and prey availability of larval North Sea cod Gadus morhua

2007 ◽  
Vol 334 ◽  
pp. 225-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Munk
2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Floeter ◽  
Axel Temming

The nature and significance of size preference for fish prey in the diet selection of North Sea cod (Gadus morhua L.) was analysed. The analysis combined information on size-specific abundance derived from bottom trawl surveys with prey size frequencies in cod stomachs from the International North Sea Stomach Database. To estimate the abundance of all potential fish prey in the sea, a length-based number spectrum was calculated, corrected for gear efficiency by the application of a species-specific correction factor, and weighted by local predator abundance to take the spatial–temporal overlap between cod and its prey into consideration. A prey size preference model for cod feeding on fish is presented. Results showed that the preferred predator-to-prey weight ratio is an exponentially increasing function of predator size and an exponentially decreasing function of the slope of the number spectrum. More than 75% of fish found in the stomachs of North Sea cod originated from the least preferred quartile of the prey size range, indicating that prey abundance is the main determinant of the diet composition.


2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Jaap Poos ◽  
Adriaan D Rijnsdorp

A temporarily closed area established to protect spawning Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the North Sea allowed us to study the response of the Dutch beam trawl fleet exploiting common sole (Solea solea) and plaice (Pleuronectes platessa). A number of vessels left the North Sea 1 month earlier than the normal seasonal pattern. The vessels that continued fishing in the North Sea were concentrated in the remaining open areas. In the first week after the closure, the catch rate decreased by 14%, coinciding with an increase in crowding of 28%. Area specialisation affected the response of individual vessels because vessels without prior experience in the open areas showed a larger decline in catch rate compared with vessels that previously fished in these open areas and were more likely to stop fishing during the closed period. The decrease in catch rate in response to the increase in competitor density allowed us to estimate the strength of the interference competition.


2003 ◽  
Vol 270 (1529) ◽  
pp. 2125-2132 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Hutchinson ◽  
Cock van Oosterhout ◽  
Stuart I. Rogers ◽  
Gary R. Carvalho

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 961-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Horwood ◽  
Carl O'Brien ◽  
Chris Darby

AbstractRecovery of depleted marine, demersal, commercial fish stocks has proved elusive worldwide. As yet, just a few shared or highly migratory stocks have been restored. Here we review the current status of the depleted North Sea cod (Gadus morhua), the scientific advice to managers, and the recovery measures in place. Monitoring the progress of North Sea cod recovery is now hampered by considerable uncertainties in stock assessments associated with low stock size, variable survey indices, and inaccurate catch data. In addition, questions arise as to whether recovery targets are achievable in a changing natural environment. We show that current targets are achievable with fishing mortality rates that are compatible with international agreements even if recruitment levels remain at the current low levels. Furthermore, recent collations of data on international fishing effort have allowed estimation of the cuts in fishing mortality achieved by restrictions on North Sea effort. By the beginning of 2005, these restrictions are estimated to have reduced fishing mortality rates by about 37%. This is insufficient to ensure recovery of North Sea cod within the next decade.


1979 ◽  
Vol 36 (12) ◽  
pp. 1497-1502 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Buckley

The protein, DNA, and RNA content of larvae maintained at 1.0 plankter/mL increased at the rates of 9.3, 9.9, and 9.8% per day, respectively, for the 5 wk after hatching. Protein reserves of larvae held at 0 or 0.2 plankters/mL were depleted by 45 and 35%, respectively, prior to death 12–13 d after hatching. Starved larvae had similar protein concentrations (percent of dry weight), lower RNA concentrations, and higher DNA concentrations than fed larvae. Larvae held at higher plankton densities had higher RNA–DNA ratios and faster growth rates than larvae held at lower plankton densities. The RNA–DNA ratio was significantly correlated (P < 0.01) with the protein growth rate. The RNA–DNA ratio appears to be a useful index of nutritional status in larval Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and may be useful for determining if cod larvae were in a period of rapid or slow growth at the time of capture. Key words: RNA–DNA ratio, starvation, protein, nucleic acids, growth, larval fish, Atlantic cod


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (9) ◽  
pp. 1515-1527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Björnsson

This study supports the hypothesis that well-fed cod (Gadus morhua) seek higher temperatures to increase growth rate, and poorly fed cod select lower temperatures to save metabolic energy. Depth and temperature of free-ranging adult cod (44–79 cm) were studied with data storage tags as part of a ranching project in an Icelandic fjord. Forage fish were regularly provided at four feeding stations where cod formed distinct “herds” (herd cod) that did not mingle much with the rest of the unconditioned cod in the fjord (wild cod). Several parameters (stomach fullness, liver index (fat reserves), condition factor, and growth rate) indicated that food intake was much greater in herd cod than in wild cod. In August, when the thermocline was well established, the herd cod remained in shallow (15–35 m) and warm water (8–10 °C), whereas the wild cod stayed in deep (80–90 m) and cold water (3–4 °C), but occasionally both groups explored depths and temperatures outside their preferred range. After vertical mixing in autumn when thermoregulation was not possible, the depth difference between the two groups decreased significantly.


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 2389-2403
Author(s):  
Ismael Núñez-Riboni ◽  
Marc H Taylor ◽  
Alexander Kempf ◽  
Miriam Püts ◽  
Moritz Mathis

Abstract Previous studies have identified changes in habitat temperature as a major factor leading to the geographical displacement of North Sea cod in the last decades. However, the degree to which thermal suitability is presently changing in different regions of the North Sea is still unclear, or if temperature alone (or together with fishery) is responsible for this displacement. In this study, the spatial distribution of different life stages of cod was modelled from 1967 to 2015. The model is fit point-to-point, spatially resolved at scales of 20 km. The results show that suitability has decreased south of 56°N (&gt;12% in the Southern Bight) and increased north of it (with maximum of roughly 10% in southern Skagerrak). Future changes to suitability were estimated throughout the century using temperature projections from a regional climate model under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenario RCP8.5. The results show that southern Skagerrak, the central and northern North Sea and the edge of the Norwegian trench will remain thermally suitable for North Sea cod throughout the century. This detailed geographical representation of thermally suitable key zones for North Sea cod under climate change is revealed for the first time through the improved resolution of this analysis.


2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1311-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Skovgaard ◽  
Q. Z. M. Bahlool ◽  
P. Munk ◽  
T. Berge ◽  
K. Buchmann

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