Body condition and evolution of maturation of Atlantic cod in Newfoundland ...

• Main Authors: Baulier, Loïc, Heino, Mikko, Lilly, George R., Dieckmann, Ulf
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: ASC 2006 - Theme session H 2024
• Subjects: Fisheries and aquaculture; Pressures, impacts, conservation, and management; Newfoundland; atlantic cod; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.25258771; https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/conference_contribution/Body_condition_and_evolution_of_maturation_of_Atlantic_cod_in_Newfoundland/25258771

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua, L.) stocks off Newfoundland and Labrador underwent severe depletions that started in the late 1980s and led to moratoria in the early 1990s. Fisheries closures are still applied in most of the areas where cod is found. A very low stock level, probably resulting from the combined effects of overfishing and unfavorable environmental conditions, has been accompanied with modifications of life history traits of the fish. Among reproductive traits, a decrease in both age and size at first reproduction has been observed. A partial genetical determinism of these shifts is supported by earlier analyses of probabilistic maturation reaction norms, revealing a consistent trend towards earlier maturation but also strong short-term fluctuations. In this study, we elucidate the effect of changes in individual body condition on short and long-term changes in maturation of cod. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that condition ...