scholarly journals Comparison of lipid, otolith and morphometric condition indices of pelagic juvenile cod Gadus morhua from the Canadian Atlantic

1992 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 31-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
IM Suthers ◽  
A Fraser ◽  
KT Frank
2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (10) ◽  
pp. 1900-1917 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Tara Marshall ◽  
Coby L Needle ◽  
Nathalia A Yaragina ◽  
Adnan M Ajiad ◽  
Evgeny Gusev

To evaluate interstock differences in condition, it would be advantageous to develop stock-level condition indices from standardized databases on weight and length. This study describes a method for estimating stock-level condition when individual-level observations on length and weight are not easily accessible. For each year in a 56-year time series (1946–2001) for Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua), pseudo-observations of weight and length were generated by pairing the Norwegian and Russian values for weight-at-age provided annually to the assessment working group with estimates of length-at-age derived from the same databases. A weight–length relationship fit to each year was then used to predict weight-at-length, i.e., girth, for a range of standard lengths (30–120 cm). This index was uncorrelated with both the liver condition index and the abundance of Barents Sea capelin (Mallotus villosus), suggesting that at the stock level, the girth of cod is not necessarily indicative of the magnitude of stored energy reserves. Partitioning body size into length-at-age and girth revealed long-term trends in body size. In particular, large/old cod showed substantially higher values of both length-at-age and girth that could be the result of long-term increases in fishing mortality.


2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1006-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.G.S. Mello ◽  
G.A. Rose

Abstract Seasonal cycle in weight and physiological condition of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) influenced productivity and economic impacts of the cod fishery in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. Condition indices (Fulton's K condition factor and hepatosomatic index – HSI) were lowest during the spawning season (spring) and increased rapidly during the postspawning period, reaching maximum values by fall (K and HSI increased on average 24% and 82% between spring and fall, respectively). Somatic weight and condition indices varied seasonally. Condition indices were correlated with an industry index of product yield. Historically, cod fisheries have been prosecuted during all seasons, but simulations of 1997–1999 fisheries indicate that a fall fishery (period of peak physiological condition) resulted in a 8–17% decrease in the number of cod removed from the stock while maintaining the same weight-based quotas, and profiting from maximum yield and better product quality. Spring and summer fisheries resulted in lower yield (6%) and quality (5–26%) of fish products by weight. Seasonal biological cycles could be used as templates for management strategies that promote fisheries conservation and economic benefits by harvesting fish during periods when biological impacts are minimal and economic returns maximal.


2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 1781-1788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael Ovegård ◽  
Kim Berndt ◽  
Sven-Gunnar Lunneryd

Abstract Ovegård, M., Berndt, K., and Lunneryd, S-G. 2012. Condition indices of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) biased by capturing method. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 1781–1788. In studies evaluating the condition and general health status of fish stocks, the method used for catching the fish is seldom considered as a factor of importance. In this study, condition indices were compared between cod caught in pots, gillnets, and on hooks in the same geographical area. The results showed that cod (Gadus morhua) caught on baited gear types (pots and hooks) generally displayed a lower condition and an older age (i.e. suggesting a lower growth rate) compared to cod caught in gillnets. It is unclear whether these results merely illustrate divergent behavioural responses in fish originating from one single population, or if these divergent behavioural components represent distinct subpopulations displaying different mean conditions and growth rates. Regardless of the underlying causes, the results not only show that parts of the Baltic cod stock are in extremely poor condition, they also indicate that different gear types used in the same area could target similar-sized conspecifics exhibiting large differences in condition and size-at-age. The potential impact of the difference in condition between the pots and other gear types could hamper the implementation of the cod pot as a potentially seal-safe and sustainable fishing method.


2020 ◽  
Vol 167 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sólvá Jacobsen ◽  
Kristoffer Klitgaard Nielsen ◽  
Rune Kristiansen ◽  
Peter Grønkjær ◽  
Eilif Gaard ◽  
...  

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