Recruitment signals in juvenile cod surveys depend on thermal growth conditions

Coastal seine surveys contain some of the only direct measures of age-0 abundance for Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), yet their utility in forecasting future year-class strength has not been evaluated among regions. We analyzed coastal time series from the Gulf of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Main Authors: Laurel, Benjamin J., Cote, David, Gregory, Robert S., Rogers, Lauren, Knutsen, Halvor, Olsen, Esben Moland
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2017
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2016-0035
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/cjfas-2016-0035
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjfas-2016-0035
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Summary:Coastal seine surveys contain some of the only direct measures of age-0 abundance for Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), yet their utility in forecasting future year-class strength has not been evaluated among regions. We analyzed coastal time series from the Gulf of Alaska, Newfoundland, and Norway to test the hypothesis that recruitment signals are stronger when assessed under thermal conditions that provide high juvenile growth potential. Weaker recruitment signals were associated with low growth potential from cold winters (Newfoundland) and recent warmer summers (Norway). We conclude that temperature-dependent growth strongly influences the utility of coastal surveys in recruitment forecasting among regions. Temporal changes in growth potential (e.g., via climate change) will likely affect recruitment signals by way of changes in juvenile mortality or spatial shifts to more favorable thermal habitats.