Spatiotemporal variations in juvenile mortality and cohort strength of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) off Newfoundland and Labrador

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 625-635
Author(s):  
Fan Zhang ◽  
Rick M. Rideout ◽  
Noel G. Cadigan
Keyword(s):  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variations ◽  
Juvenile Mortality ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Fish Recruitment

Juvenile mortality is an important factor affecting the spatiotemporal dynamics of fish recruitment, but estimation of the spatiotemporal variations in juvenile mortality rates remains challenging. We developed a state-space metapopulation dynamics model to simultaneously estimate spatiotemporal variations in juvenile mortality rates and cohort strength and applied this general modelling framework to data from multiple surveys for juvenile (ages 2–5) Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) stocks off Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). We found large-scale synchronized dynamics of decreasing juvenile mortality rates and increasing cohort strength from offshore surveys off eastern and southeastern NL, suggesting improving reproduction and survival rates for juvenile cod. No synchronized patterns of juvenile mortality rates and cohort strength were detected for cod stocks off southern and western NL, indicating more complex cod population spatial structures in those areas. Our study demonstrates the potential of juvenile mortality to cause temporally variable and spatially synchronized dynamics of fish recruitment, and the spatial patterns of juvenile mortality and cohort strength indicate some potential mismatch between cod population structure and current management units off NL.

Automated monitoring of a large-scale cod (Gadus morhua) migration in the open sea

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (12) ◽  
pp. 1845-1850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc A Comeau ◽  
Steven E Campana ◽  
Martin Castonguay
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Seasonal Migration ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Migration Patterns ◽  
Migration Timing ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
And Migration

The migration patterns of marine fishes are poorly known, in part owing to the technical limitations associated with tracking the movements of animals in deep water. Here we document a large-scale, directed, migration of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) off eastern Canada. Our approach was based on the acoustic tagging of 126 fish and the deployment of 69 subsurface receivers, stretching over a 160-km distance along the edge of the Laurentian Channel. After 1 year of automated recording, we found that 65% of the fish migrated out of coastal waters in two distinct runs during the summer–autumn period. The offshore-migrating fish overwintered in deep Laurentian Channel waters, returning inshore in April. Individual migration routes and migration timing were variable, indicating that the cod did not aggregate in large schools during the seasonal migration events.

Occurrence of plastics ingested by Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) destined for human consumption (Fogo Island, Newfoundland and Labrador)

2020 ◽  
Vol 153 ◽  
pp. 110993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacquelyn Saturno ◽  
Max Liboiron ◽  
Justine Ammendolia ◽  
Natasha Healey ◽  
Elise Earles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Human Consumption

Survival of Northern Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) Eggs and Larvae when Exposed to Ice and Low Temperature

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
pp. 2588-2595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul F. Valerio ◽  
Sally V. Goddard ◽  
Ming H. Kao ◽  
Garth L. Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperature ◽  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Ice Crystals ◽  
Freeze Resistance ◽  
Northern Cod ◽  
Northern Atlantic ◽  
Eggs And Larvae

Freeze resistance of eggs and larvae of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from the northern cod stock was investigated to determine whether ice contact could affect survival during the spring spawning season off Newfoundland. Egg and larval homogenates did not appear to contain antifreeze proteins (mean freezing points −0.78 and −0.88 °C, respectively). However, cod eggs did not freeze at −1.8 °C in icy aerated seawater, could be undercooled to −4.0 °C in ice, and froze at temperatures between −4.1 and −1 7 °C; freeze resistance depended on the integrity of the chorion. Larvae withstood undercooling to −1.8 °C, provided they were not brought into direct contact with ice crystals, if directly touched with ice, larvae froze at −1.36 °C (feeding stage) or −1.34 °C (yolk-sac), approximately 0.5 °C lower than would be expected from the freezing temperatures of their body fluids. The nature of their external epithelium and delayed development of sensitive gill structures below 0 °C may contribute to larval freeze resistance. Cod eggs and larvae are found in spring off Newfoundland and Labrador, when sea temperatures can be as low as −1.8 °C and ice cover extensive. While cod eggs are remarkably freeze resistant, such environmental conditions may cause freezing mortalities in larval cod.

Spatial synchronicity in recruitment of Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua ) stocks off Newfoundland and Labrador and the Flemish Cap

2017 ◽  
Vol 191 ◽  
pp. 49-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick J. Tulk ◽  
Noel G. Cadigan ◽  
John Brattey ◽  
Dominique Robert
Keyword(s):  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod

Comparative Survival and Growth of Two Strains of Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) through the Early Life Stages in a Marine Pond

1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 1012-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geir Blom ◽  
Terje Svåsand ◽  
Knut E. Jørstad ◽  
Håkon Otterå ◽  
Ole I. Paulsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Larval Mortality ◽  
Food Limitation ◽  
Juvenile Stage ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Juvenile Mortality ◽  
Early Juvenile Stage ◽  
Survival And Growth

Survival and growth of two strains of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) were compared through the larval and juvenile stages in a marine pond in western Norway in 1990 and 1991. Strain A was homozygous for the genetic marker allele GPI-1*30 at the glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI) locus expressed in white muscle, and Strain B possessed other GPI-1* genotypes, in 1990 the frequency of Strain B increased significantly from the larval to the juvenile stage; however, in 1991 the frequency of Strain A increased slightly but not significantly from the larval to the juvenile phase. Larval mortality did not differ significantly between strains any year, but juvenile mortality was significantly lower in Strain B in 1990 and Strain A in 1991. Average growth rates in length estimated from regressions were not significantly different between strains during the larval and juvenile period any year, but initial length was significantly larger in Strain B in 1990 and Strain A in 1991. Our results indicated that food limitation during the early juvenile stage induced differential size-selective mortality among the strains due to small differences in body size and actual age between strains. Body size did not become important for survival until the food-limited regime had occurred.

scholarly journals Is recovery of northern cod limited by poor feeding? The capelin hypothesis revisited

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 784-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darrell R. J. Mullowney ◽  
George A. Rose
Keyword(s):  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Wild Fish ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Performance Trends ◽  
Northern Cod ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus ◽  
Prime Condition

Abstract The slow recovery of the “northern” Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) stock off Newfoundland and Labrador has been ascribed to many factors. One hypothesis is poor feeding and condition as a consequence of a decline in capelin (Mallotus villosus), their former main prey. We compared the growth and condition of cod from known inshore (Smith Sound) and offshore (Bonavista Corridor) centres of rebuilding in wild subjects versus captive subjects fed an unlimited diet of oily rich fish. Wild fish in these areas have had different diets and population performance trends since stock declines in the early 1990s. Captive cod from both areas grew at the same rates and achieved equivalent prime condition, while their wild counterparts differed, with smaller sizes, lower condition in small fish, and elevated mortality levels in the offshore centre. Environmental temperature conditions did not account for the differences in performance of wild fish. Our results suggest that fish growth and condition, and hence rebuilding in the formerly large offshore spawning components of the northern cod, have been limited by a lack of capelin in their diet. Furthermore, we suggest that these groups are unlikely to rebuild until a recovery in capelin occurs.

Mixing and migration of overwintering Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) stocks near the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 1873-1881 ◽  
Author(s):  
S E Campana ◽  
G A Chouinard ◽  
J M Hanson ◽  
A Fréchet
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Trace Element Composition ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Management Area ◽  
Elemental Fingerprint ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Southern Flank

Millions of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) migrate distances of up to 500 km each fall to aggregate together in a small overwintering area off eastern Canada. Synoptic research vessel surveys carried out each January between 1994 and 1997 documented dense aggregations of cod along both flanks of the Laurentian Channel in each year, with estimated biomasses exceeding 100 000 metric tons. Using the trace element composition of the otolith ("otolith elemental fingerprint") as a natural tag, we found members of four populations to be present on the overwintering grounds in significant numbers, yet large-scale mixing among the populations was minimal. Individual trawl samples were often composed of a single population, suggesting that population integrity was maintained at a scale of <20 km. Cod from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence dominated the population composition along the southern flank of the Channel, while cod from the northern Gulf dominated the northern flank; the distributions of both of these populations extended well to the east of their summer habitats and were remarkably similar across years. There was no evidence of large-scale mixing across the Channel. In light of the substantive migration of northern Gulf cod into the management area for the southern Newfoundland population, fishing effort off southern Newfoundland has the potential to reduce the size of the northern Gulf population.

Recruitment to Northwest Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) and Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) Stocks: Influence of Stock Size and Climate

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Anthony Koslow ◽  
Keith R. Thompson ◽  
William Silvert
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Melanogrammus Aeglefinus ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
Low Frequency Variability ◽  
Haddock Melanogrammus Aeglefinus

Year-class success of both Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) stocks in the northwest Atlantic exhibits large-scale coherence and low-frequency variability with apparent periodicities of 10–20 yr. Several physical and biological variables in the region exhibit similar large-scale coherence and apparent periodicity. Multiple regression analysis indicates that year-class success in northwest Atlantic cod stocks tends to be associated with large-scale meteorological patterns and offshore winds. Recruitment to most haddock stocks from the Scotian Shelf to Georges Bank is negatively associated with abundance of 0-group mackerel, which may be due to predation over winter and/or to a combination of environmental features including sea-surface temperature, large-scale atmospheric pressure systems, and freshwater outflows. Statistical analyses often did not define a unique set of variables that best predicted fishery recruitment due to widespread intercorrelations among environmental processes and the likelihood that not all relevant processes entered directly into the analyses. There is little evidence that stock reproductive output during the study period was significantly related to year-class success.

Advances in Fish Tagging and Marking Technology

2012 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Stock Identification ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Mark Recapture ◽  
International Industry ◽  
Research Initiatives

<i>Abstract</i>.—In the Gulf of Maine region, Atlantic cod <i>Gadus morhua</i>, are managed as three separate stocks: in U.S. waters, the Gulf of Maine (5Y) and Georges Bank (5Z) stocks and in Canadian waters, the Bay of Fundy stock (4X). The Northeast Regional Cod Tagging Program (NRCTP), a large-scale, international collaborative tagging program, was initiated in 2003 and provides the first region-wide, international snapshot of cod movements, mixing, and growth across all three management areas. As the 2008 stock assessment of Atlantic cod was approaching, these mark–recapture data (114,473 tag releases and >6,500 recaptures) were being analyzed for stock identification purposes. Analysis of raw and weighted data indicate exchanges between different areas which are likely related to spawning behavior, maturation, and environmental conditions. Two core assumptions when defining a stock are that (1) the stock is self-sustaining and that (2) neighboring stocks exist in isolation; the migration patterns observed in the current study may substantially violate both assumptions. With additional ongoing assessments into spatial variation in key life history characteristics of growth and natural mortality, the NRCTP exemplifies the role of conventional mark–recapture data in the complex process of stock identification. The geographic scale and quality of data collected during the NRCTP also confirm the value of international, industry-science collaborative research initiatives; involving this data in both stock assessments and future management initiatives is rewarding to the ~250 commercial and recreational fishermen who tagged cod for this program.

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