A synthesis of large scale patterns in the planktonic prey of larval and juvenile cod ...

• Main Authors: Heath, M.R., Lough, R.G.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: ASC 2005 - AA - Theme session 2024
• Subjects: Fisheries and aquaculture; Ecosystem observation, processes and dynamics; Calanus finmarchicus; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.25350097; https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/conference_contribution/A_synthesis_of_large_scale_patterns_in_the_planktonic_prey_of_larval_and_juvenile_cod/25350097

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.Data from 39 published studies of the diet composition of larval and juvenile cod from around the northern North Atlantic were summarised to assess generic patterns in ontogenetic and regional variability in the key prey. The results showed that larvae at the northern edge of the latitudinal range of cod depend primarily on development stages of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus, whilst those at the southern edge depend of Para- and Pseudocalanus species. Juvenile cod preyed on a wider range of taxa than larvae, but euphausids were the main target prey. Analysis of regional variations in the relative abundances of C. finmarchicus and Para/Pseudocalanus spp. in the plankton, as estimated by the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) surveys, showed a similar geographical pattern to the larval cod stomach contents. Comparison of CPR data from the 1960’s and 70’s with data from the 1990’s showed that the boundary between C. finmarchicus and ...