Geographical variations in abundance of larval anisakine nematodes in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides) from the Gulf of St. Lawrence

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (S1) ◽  
pp. 105-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
France Boily ◽  
David J. Marcogliese

Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides) collected from various sites in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (NAFO divisions 4RST) were examined for larval anisakine nematodes in 1990 and 1992. Sealworm larvae (Pseudoterranova decipiens) were more abundant in southern Gulf (4T) than in northern Gulf (4RS) cod and plaice. The heaviest sealworm infections occurred in fish from St. Georges Bay, Nova Scotia. Abundance of P. decipiens in cod from St. Georges Bay was significantly lower in 1992 than in 1990. Anisakis simplex and Contracaecinea (Contracaecum/Phocascaris spp.) were most abundant in cod from the northern Gulf. American plaice were not heavily infected with A. simplex or Contracaecinea. Geographical and temporal variations in abundance of larval anisakine nematodes in fish may reflect distribution and abundance of the phocid and cetacean definitive hosts and variations in water temperatures.

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.


1960 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 763-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Scott ◽  
W. F. Black

Larvae of the parasitic ascarid (Porrocaecum decipiens) occurred commonly in the musculature and viscera of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the Bras d'Or Lakes. They were also present in the musculature of nine other species of teleosts and probably also in the viscera of skates (Raja sp.). Most larvae were longer than 20 mm. None was shorter than 10 mm, a fact which suggested the existence of some earlier intermediate host, probably an invertebrate. More than 8,000 mysids, an important food of fishes when they first become infected, were examined for nematodes. Although 110 nematodes were found, only one certainly and four dubiously appeared to be Porrocaecum. The definitive hosts were the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) and the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus). The distribution of seals coincided with local variations in the incidence of the parasite in cod.


1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (12) ◽  
pp. 2548-2561 ◽  
Author(s):  
D P Swain ◽  
G A Chouinard ◽  
R Morin ◽  
K F Drinkwater

We compared habitat associations of southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides) between the summer feeding season on the Magdalen Shallows and the overwintering period in the Cabot Strait. Data were from bottom trawl surveys conducted in September 1993, 1994, and 1995 and January 1994, 1995, and 1996. Both species occupied much deeper, warmer water in winter than in summer. The effect of cod age on temperature distribution reversed between the two seasons, with younger cod occupying warmer water than older cod in summer and colder water in winter. Selection of both depth and temperature by cod tended to be more significant in September than in January. The reduced statistical significance of habitat selection by cod in winter was associated with a more aggregated distribution in this season. The contrast between seasons in habitat associations was particularly strong for plaice. The median habitats occupied by plaice were 58-67 m and -0.1 to 0.3°C in September and 374-426 m and 5.2-5.4°C in January. Habitat selection by plaice was significant in both seasons, but significance tended to be greater in January. Degree of aggregation in plaice distribution was similar between the two seasons. Female plaice occupied significantly warmer water than males in September but not in January. The ecological and practical implications of this striking seasonal variation in habitat associations are discussed.


1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (S1) ◽  
pp. s171-s182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven E. Campana ◽  
Kenneth T. Frank ◽  
Peter C. F. Hurley ◽  
Peter A. Koeller ◽  
Fred H. Page ◽  
...  

To identify the life history stage(s) most influential in determining yearclass strength, we constructed and analyzed survival curves of the 1983, 1984, and 1985 cohorts of cod and haddock off Southwest Nova Scotia relative to their physical and biological environment. Relative abundance of each Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) yearclass was not reflected by egg or larval abundance in any year examined. However, abundance of both pelagic and settled juveniles did appear to reflect yearclass strength. Egg and larval mortality could not be consistently linked with advection from the spawning site, and did not covary with subsequent recruitment. In both species, mortality between the larval and juvenile stage was inversely correlated with yearclass strength, but sources of the mortality could not be identified. Larval growth was inversely related to mortality of the early larval stage and independent of larval abundance. However, juvenile growth was proportional to mortality and inversely related to abundance. Despite early life coexistence and similarities in spawning time and location, the relative yearclass strengths of cod and haddock in Southwest Nova Scotia were different, suggesting that the timing of local physical and biological events may play an important role in the recruitment success of these stocks.


1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (S1) ◽  
pp. 195-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.A. Khan ◽  
C. Tuck

Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) were collected from six locations on the continental shelf off Newfoundland, Canada, including one inshore area and examined for parasites from 1981 to 1983. The protozoan Loma branchialis was more prevalent in North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) areas 3Pn-4R (Gulf of St. Lawrence) and 2J-3K (Labrador), whereas the acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus gadi was more abundant in the latter than in other locations. Similarly, the prevalence and (or) abundance of the fillet-inhabiting larval nematode Pseudoterranova decipiens and the blood-feeding copepod Lernaeocera branchialis were significantly greater in fish from 3Ps (St. Pierre Bank) and 3Pn-4R than from all adjacent areas. Gastrointestinal ascaridoid nematodes were more abundant in 3M (Flemish Cap) cod than in other localities. No differences in the prevalence and abundance of E. gadi were detected in samples in relation to sex or size class. Paired comparisons of transformed data for the different parasite taxa revealed that there were more significant differences than similarities in cod sampled from adjacent NAFO divisions. These observations based on selected parasites (Loma branchialis, Trypanosoma murmanensis, Myxidium gadi, P. decipiens, gastrointestinal ascaridoid nematodes, E. gadi, and Lernaeocera branchialis) support the view that discrete stocks of cod inhabit the Newfoundland–Labrador continental shelf.


1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 775-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Dingle ◽  
J. A. Hines

Minced flesh of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and pollock (Pollachius virens), recovered by means of meat-separator machines from frames left after filleting operations, suffered a rapid loss of protein solubility during storage at −5 C. This was due to the presence of kidney tissue which caused the formation of dimethylamine and formaldehyde from the trimethylamine oxide of the muscle. The minced flesh of witch flounder (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus), American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides), and Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) was relatively stable when mixed with homogenates of their own kidney tissue, but cod kidney caused the same changes in gray sole as it did in minced cod flesh. The exclusion of gadoid kidney and blood from minced fish preparations is recommended.


2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1613-1623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caihong Fu ◽  
Robert Mohn ◽  
L Paul Fanning

An age-structured population dynamics model, incorporating interactions between Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), the fishery, and the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) population, was applied to the cod stock off eastern Nova Scotia (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Divisions 4Vs and 4W, commonly abbreviated to 4VsW), a stock that has dramatically declined since the late 1980s. Mortality was modeled as having three components: fishing mortality (F), seal predation (Mp), and all other sources of natural mortality (M). Specifically, M was assumed to be distinct for immature cod (ages 1–4; Mi) and mature cod (age 5 and older; Mm), and respective annual variations were estimated. Parameters estimated also included recruitment (cod abundance at age 1; R), F, and Mp. Based on our estimates of F, Mp, and M, it is unlikely that the collapse of the 4VsW cod stock can be attributed to a sudden increase in M; fishing appears to have been the primary cause for the stock's decline. However, after the moratorium on commercial fishing in 1993, increasing Mp and Mm and low R may have contributed to the failure of the 4VsW cod stock to recover.


1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (S1) ◽  
pp. s103-s112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter C. F. Hurley ◽  
Steven E. Campana

Synoptic ichthyoplankton surveys conducted at monthly intervals during the winter–spring of 1983–85 were used to determine the location, timing, and magnitude of spawning by haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) off southwest Nova Scotia. There was a marked similarity in the spawning locations of the two species: primary spawning occurred on Browns Bank, although lower levels of spawning were observed on adjacent banks and in the inshore region. Cod egg abundance peaked in April in all years, while that of haddock varied between April–June.


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.


2001 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J Marcogliese

Prevalence and abundance of sealworm (Pseudoterranova decipiens) and other anisakid nematodes were determined in a variety of fishes from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1990 and 1992. Sealworm abundance and prevalence were also determined in three species of seals in the Gulf between 1988 and 1992. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and shorthorn (Myoxocephalus scorpius) and longhorn sculpin (M. octodecemspinosus) were the fishes most heavily infected with sealworm. Grey seals(Halichoerus grypus) proved to be the most important definitive hosts for sealworm in the Gulf. Abundance of sealworm increased, whereas that of Anisakis simplex and contracaecine nematodes decreased, from north to south in the Gulf. Abundance of sealworm increased compared to earlier surveys in most areas of the Gulf, but decreased in both cod and grey seals during the course of this study. In contrast, abundance of Contracaecum osculatum and Phocascaris spp. in grey seals and cod continued to increase during the study period. Observed increases of nematodes are attributed to growing populations of grey seals (for sealworm) and harp seals (for Contracaecinea). Levels of A. simplex remained relatively constant between 1988 and 1992 in both grey seals and cod. There is no evidence suggesting that observed patterns in nematode abundance were due to changes in grey seal diet. Nor was there any evidence of competition between P. decipiens and C. osculatum in grey seals affecting either sealworm abundance or fecundity. The trends detected herein are attributed to climatic events in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where water temperatures in the cold intermediate layer consistently decreased between 1986 and 1994. It is suggested that low temperatures inhibited development and hatching of sealworm eggs, but not those of C. osculatum.


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