INCIDENCE OF THE COD PARASITE LERNAEOCERA BRANCHIALIS L. IN THE NEW ENGLAND AREA, AND ITS POSSIBLE USE AS AN INDICATOR OF COD POPULATIONS

• Published in: Limnology and Oceanography
• Main Authors: Sherman, Kenneth, Wise, John P.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1961
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Oceanography; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.4319/lo.1961.6.1.0061; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.4319%2Flo.1961.6.1.0061; https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.4319/lo.1961.6.1.0061

A total of 4,519 cod, Gadus morhua L., from the coastal and offshore regions of New England were examined during June to December 1957 for the parasitic copepod, Lernaeocera branchialis L. Infestation decreased from north to south and inshore to offshore. The effect of infestation on the length‐weight relationship of cod was examined and found non‐significant. An examination of infestation selectivity by fish size also showed no significant differences. From the differential infestation rates, it is shown that four general groups of cod can be distinguished: those of the northern Gulf of Maine heavily infested, the moderately infested central and southern Gulf cod, the lightly infested Georges Bank population, and the southern New England group which is free of infestation. This supports previous unpublished tag return data, and indicates the usefulness of Lernaeocera for distinguishing various groups of cod.