Peculiarities in ovarian structure leading to multiple-year delays in oogenesis and possible senescence in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L.

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (10) ◽  
pp. 1840-1844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick M Rideout ◽  
Margaret PM Burton
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Reproductive Cycle ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Spawning Season ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Spawning Cycle ◽  
Ovarian Structure

Five specimens of female Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., four collected during regular surveys of the northwest Atlantic Ocean, had ovarian structures that suggested that multiple-year interruptions were occurring in the spawning cycle of these fish. One specimen was experiencing a minimal 2-year delay in its reproductive cycle because the ovary contained only oogonia, which would have had to mature before any spawning could occur. Two other specimens did not contain oogonia or perinucleolar-stage oocytes, suggesting that these ovaries were senescent. Another two ovaries, one removed from a broodstock female and one taken from a female collected off Newfoundland's east coast, contained large masses of resorbing hyaline oocytes, which would likely have impaired the normal release of hydrated oocytes in the next spawning season.

Pelagic fishes and the cod recruitment dilemma in the Northwest Atlantic

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1321-1325 ◽  
Author(s):  
D P Swain ◽  
A F Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Recruitment Rate ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Pelagic Fishes ◽  
Predatory Fishes

Like most other stocks of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the Northwest Atlantic, cod in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence declined to low abundance in the early 1990s. Recovery has been slow in contrast with the rapid recovery from similar levels of abundance in the mid-1970s. This difference reflects remarkably high prerecruit survival of cod in the earlier period of low abundance rather than unusually poor survival in the 1990s. The period of high prerecruit survival of cod coincided with the collapse of herring (Clupea harengus) and mackerel (Scomber scombrus) stocks resulting from overfishing. These pelagic fishes are potential predators or competitors of the early life history stages of cod. We report a strong negative relationship between the biomass of these pelagic fishes and recruitment rate of southern Gulf cod. This is consistent with the recent suggestion that the success of large predatory fishes may depend on "cultivation" effects in which the adults crop down forage fishes that are predators or competitors of their young. Our results also point to the possibility of a triangular food web involving cod, seals, and pelagic fishes, making it difficult to predict the effect of a proposed cull of seals on the recovery of cod.

Infection of Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) with Larvae and of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) with Adults of the Copepod, Lernaeocera branchialis, in and adjacent to the Newfoundland area, and Inferences Therefrom on Inshore–Offshore Migrations of Cod

1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 711-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilfred Templeman ◽  
V. M. Hodder ◽  
A. M. Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Adult Parasite ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
The West ◽  
Cyclopterus Lumpus ◽  
Branchial Arches

The lumpfish, Cyclopterus lumpus, was found to be a common intermediate host of the larvae of the copepod, Lernaeocera branchialis, in the Newfoundland and neighboring areas. Large numbers of these larvae occurred on the gills of lumpfish from inshore Newfoundland areas from the latter half of June to the first half of August, whereas only minor infection was found in any month in offshore areas. Some larvae of the year reached the final or seventh stage on the intermediate host in May on the west coast of Newfoundland and in June on the east coast. By July on the west coast and early August on the east coast, this was by far the most numerous stage present. The larvae were attached mainly near the tips of the gill filaments. Most larvae were attached to the gills of the first two branchial arches, less to those of the third, and much less to those of the fourth. There were more larvae on the right than on the left gills. Infection of the final host Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), by stage-7 female L. branchialis was apparently mainly inshore.Adult L. branchialis on Atlantic cod, typically located near the anterior ventral apex of the branchial arches, were numerous throughout the year in the areas of high infection. Infection rates of cod with the adult parasite were usually considerably higher near the coast than farther offshore, the rates declining with distance from the coast. Rates of infection with the adult parasite usually increased from the smaller to intermediate cod lengths and declined rapidly at greater lengths. Infection rates were found useful as evidence of inshore and offshore migrations of cod. Infection with the copepod apparently delayed sexual maturity in cod. Most infected cod (86%) had one adult copepod and declining numbers (12–0.05%) possessed two to five adult copepods. The Greenland cod, G. ogac, was the only other fish of the area found to be highly infected with adult L. branchialis.

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.

Time course of gametogenesis in Northwest Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (S1) ◽  
pp. 122-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
M PM Burton ◽  
R M Penney ◽  
S Biddiscombe
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Northwest Atlantic

Paternal effects on early life history traits in Northwest Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 623-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.-M. Kroll ◽  
M. A. Peck ◽  
I. A. E. Butts ◽  
E. A. Trippel
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Paternal Effects ◽  
Northwest Atlantic

scholarly journals Changes in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) sperm quality during the spawning season

2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Rouxel ◽  
Marc Suquet ◽  
Jacky Cosson ◽  
Armelle Severe ◽  
Loic Quemener ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Spawning Season

Life history consequences of overexploitation to population recovery in Northwest Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 824-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A Hutchings
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Hatching Rate ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Annual Population ◽  
Age Structured ◽  
Negative Impacts

Changes to life history traits are often concomitant with prolonged periods of exploitation. In the Northwest Atlantic, 30- to 40-year declines of more than 90% of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) have been associated with significant reductions in age and length at maturity, changes most parsimoniously explained as genetic responses to fishing. Increased survival costs of reproduction associated with earlier maturity, resulting in higher natural mortality and shorter life span, negatively affect population growth rate and rate of recovery. Coupled with lower hatching rate among first-time spawners and smaller size at maturity, a modest reduction in age from 6 to 4 years can reduce annual population growth in Atlantic cod by 25%–30%, based on the output of a stochastic, age-structured life history model. Earlier maturity more than doubles the probability of negative population growth every generation. These results underscore the potential for fishing-induced changes to life history traits alone to generate slow or negligible recovery in marine fishes, exacerbating negative impacts on population growth resulting from ecosystem-level alterations to interspecific competition and predation.

scholarly journals Home range and elevated egg densities within an inshore spawning ground of coastal cod

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 920-928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigurd Heiberg Espeland ◽  
Ailin Fernløf Gundersen ◽  
Esben Moland Olsen ◽  
Halvor Knutsen ◽  
Jakob Gjøsæter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Generalized Additive Models ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Spawning Season ◽  
Spawning Ground ◽  
Spawning Site

Abstract Espeland, S. H., Gundersen, A. F., Olsen, E. M., Knutsen, H., Gjøsæter, J., and Stenseth, N. C. 2007. Home range and elevated egg densities within an inshore spawning ground of coastal cod. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 920–928. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast are structured into genetically distinct local populations. Mechanisms contributing to this genetic structure may include spawning site fidelity of adult cod as well as retention of pelagic early life stages close to the spawning grounds. Spawning in sheltered inshore localities is likely to favour retention of eggs and larvae, the opposite situation to offshore spawning. A combined study was made of area utilization by adult cod and the distribution of cod eggs within an inshore locality of the Norwegian Skagerrak coast. The behaviour of adult cod was studied using acoustic telemetry and kernel modelling, and eggs were sampled throughout the spawning season. Generalized additive models were applied to test hypotheses about the spatial dynamics of the eggs, and the best model described a central spawning area that retained its integrity through time. Adult cod were confined to small parts of the study area and remained there throughout the spawning season. The average home range of the adult cod was 27 ha. Overall, the study demonstrated two mechanisms by which coastal (i.e. inshore) cod maintain their population structure: spawning site fidelity and the spatial dynamics of their eggs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document