Local-Scale versus Large-Scale Factors Affecting Recruitment

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• Main Authors: Cohen, Edward B., Mountain, David G., O'Boyle, Robert
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1991
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; atlantic cod; Gadus morhua; Northwest Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f91-117; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f91-117

Recent analyses of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) stocks in the northwest Atlantic have indicated that large-scale factors (several hundred to thousands of kilometres) dominate over effects operating on more local scales (10 to a few hundred kilometres} in determining recruitment patterns for these stocks. Adding additional years and additional stocks to the data set, the recruitment time series for cod and haddock have been reexamined. A first differencing technique was used to remove trends in the data. The results indicate that while large-scale effects probably do affect recruitment, the dominant factors are operating on more local scales and correlations are strongest for neighboring stocks.