scholarly journals Fine-scale diel and gender-based patterns in behaviour of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) on a spawning ground in the Western Gulf of Maine

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 1474-1489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micah J. Dean ◽  
William S. Hoffman ◽  
Douglas R. Zemeckis ◽  
Michael P. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Adjacent Area ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Spawning Ground ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Aggregation Site ◽  
Aggregation Behaviour ◽  
Spawning Behaviour ◽  
Gender Based

Abstract Understanding the influence of spawning behaviour on the fine-scale distribution of Atlantic cod is essential to the design of effective conservation measures. Laboratory studies suggest that spawning activity occurs primarily at night, yet no field studies have evaluated the influence of diel period on the behaviour of individual wild spawning cod. Using an acoustic telemetry positioning system, the fine-scale movements of spawning cod were observed in situ as they returned to the same spawning location over consecutive seasons. The resulting data identify clear gender-based diel patterns in space use and aggregation behaviour among cod on a spawning ground. During the day, females remained aggregated in one small location that varied little within and between years. Males also aggregated during the day, but occupied a much larger adjacent area. At night, individual males sought out separate small territories while females generally remained near their daytime aggregation site, making periodic excursions into the surrounding area. These patterns were surprisingly stable over the 2 years of observation, indicating little interannual variability in spawning behaviour. This study provides an unprecedented examination of the natural spawning behaviour of Atlantic cod, and makes connections between earlier laboratory studies and field observations.

Oxidative stress, DNA damage and p53 expression in the larvae of atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) exposed to ultraviolet (290–400 nm) radiation

2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.P. Lesser ◽  
J.H. Farrell ◽  
C.W. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Growth Arrest ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Cellular Growth ◽  
Pyrimidine Dimer ◽  
Uvb Radiation

Decreases in stratospheric ozone levels from anthropogenic inputs of chlorinated fluorocarbons have resulted in an increased amount of harmful ultraviolet-B (UVB, 290–320 nm) radiation reaching the sea surface in temperate latitudes (30–50 degrees N). In the Gulf of Maine, present-day irradiances of ultraviolet-A (UVA, 320–400 nm) radiation can penetrate to depths of 23 m and UVB radiation can penetrate to depths of 7–12 m, where the rapidly developing embryos and larvae of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) are known to occur. Laboratory exposures of embryos and larvae of Atlantic cod to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) equivalent to a depth of approximately 10 m in the Gulf of Maine resulted in significant mortality of developing embryos and a decrease in standard length at hatching for yolk-sac larvae. Larvae at the end of the experimental period also had lower concentrations of UVR-absorbing compounds and exhibited significantly greater damage to their DNA, measured as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer formation, after exposure to UVB radiation. Larvae exposed to UVB radiation also exhibited significantly higher activities and protein concentrations of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase and significantly higher concentrations of the transcriptional activator p53. p53 is expressed in response to DNA damage and can result in cellular growth arrest in the G1- to S-phase of the cell cycle or to programmed cell death (apoptosis). Cellular death caused by apoptosis is the most likely cause of mortality in embryos and larvae in these laboratory experiments, while the smaller size at hatching in those larvae that survived is caused by permanent cellular growth arrest in response to DNA damage. In addition, the sub-lethal energetic costs of repairing DNA damage or responding to oxidative stress may also contribute to poor individual performance in surviving larvae that could also lead to increases in mortality. The irradiances of UVB radiation that elicit these responses in cod larvae can occur in many temperate latitudes, where these ecologically and commercially important fish are known to spawn, and may contribute to the high mortality of cod embryos and larvae in their natural environment.

scholarly journals More Than Just a Spawning Location: Examining Fine Scale Space Use of Two Estuarine Fish Species at a Spawning Aggregation Site

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross E. Boucek ◽  
Erin Leone ◽  
Joel Bickford ◽  
Sarah Walters-Burnsed ◽  
Susan Lowerre-Barbieri
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Scale Space ◽  
Estuarine Fish ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Spawning Aggregation ◽  
Aggregation Site

Migratory behaviour and otolith chemistry suggest fine-scale sub-population structure within a genetically homogenous Atlantic Cod population

2010 ◽  
Vol 89 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 383-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Svedäng ◽  
Carl André ◽  
Patrik Jonsson ◽  
Mikael Elfman ◽  
Karin E. Limburg
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Otolith Chemistry ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Migratory Behaviour

The influence of spatially variable and connected recruitment on complex stock dynamics and its ecological and management implications

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 937-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisha Guan ◽  
Yong Chen ◽  
James A. Wilson ◽  
Timothy Waring ◽  
Lisa A. Kerr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Management Implications ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Stock Biomass ◽  
Spawning Stock ◽  
The Individual

To evaluate the influence of spatially variable and connected recruitments at spawning component scale on complex stock dynamics, a typical agent-based complex stock was modeled based on the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) stock in the Gulf of Maine. We simulated three scenarios with different degrees of connectivity (i.e., individual exchange) between the spatially variable recruitments of 36 spawning components within four subpopulations under the stock. Subsequently, the temporal trends were compared for different scenarios in age-1 recruitment, spawning stock biomass, and local depletion proportion of the overall complex stock and the individual subpopulations. Results show that increased recruitment connectivity from 0.1–0.2 to 0.6–0.8 between various components tends to increase the productivity and stability of a complex stock at local and global scales and reduce the proportion of depleted components due to overfishing. Moreover, depletions of less productive components may occur without a substantial reduction in the overall complex stock biomass and recruitment.

Estimating the Discard Mortality of Atlantic Cod in the Southern Gulf of Maine Commercial Lobster Fishery

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 1252-1262
Author(s):  
B. B. Sweezey ◽  
C. W. Capizzano ◽  
J .A. Langan ◽  
H. P. Benoît ◽  
E. W. Hutchins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Discard Mortality ◽  
Lobster Fishery

Fine-scale observations of the predatory behaviour of the carnivorous copepod Paraeuchaeta norvegica and the escape responses of their ichthyoplankton prey, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

2011 ◽  
Vol 158 (12) ◽  
pp. 2653-2660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard I. Browman ◽  
Jeannette Yen ◽  
David M. Fields ◽  
Jean-François St-Pierre ◽  
Anne Berit Skiftesvik
Keyword(s):  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Escape Responses

The influence of forage fish abundance on the aggregation of Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and their catchability in the fishery

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 1349-1362 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Richardson ◽  
Michael C. Palmer ◽  
Brian E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Fish Populations ◽  
Dependent Data ◽  
Forage Fish ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Sand Lance ◽  
Unit Effort

Shifts in the distribution and aggregation patterns of exploited fish populations can affect the behavior and success of fishermen and can complicate the interpretation of fisheries-dependent data. Starting in 2006, coinciding with an increase in sand lance (Ammodytes spp.) abundance, Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) concentrated on Stellwagen Bank, a small (405 km2) underwater plateau located in the southwestern portion of the larger (52 461 km2) stock area. The cod fishery in turn concentrated on Stellwagen Bank. Specifically, the proportion of Gulf of Maine cod landings caught in a single 10-minute square area (260 km2) encompassing the tip of Stellwagen Bank increased from 12% in 2005 to 45% in 2010. An increase in landings per unit effort in the fishery coincided with the concentration of the fleet on Stellwagen Bank. Overall, both fisheries-independent and fisheries-dependent data indicate that an increase in sand lance abundance resulted in cod aggregating in a small and predictable area where they were easily caught by the fishery. More broadly, this work illustrates how changes in the distribution patterns of fish and fisherman can decouple trends in abundance and fisheries catch per unit effort.

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