Distribution and abundance of 0-group redfish in the Irminger Sea and off East Greenland: relationships with adult abundance indices

• Published in: ICES Journal of Marine Science
• Main Authors: Magnússon, J. V., Jóhannesson, G.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 1997
• Subjects: Articles; Greenland; Irminger Sea; East Greenland; Iceland
• Online Access: http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/54/5/830; https://doi.org/10.1006/jmsc.1996.0197

Annual variations in abundance and distribution of 0-group redfish in the Irminger Sea have been recorded since 1970. These are reviewed for the time period 1972 to 1994 and relations are investigated between abundance indices based on the 0-group survey and a groundfish survey. The abundance of 0-group redfish in the Irminger Sea and around Iceland varies considerably from year to year. Around Iceland, the abundance is generally low and depends on the influx of warm Atlantic water into the area north of Iceland. The upper layer temperatures in the Irminger Sea are normally 7°–9°C. The 0-group redfish off North Iceland belongs to Sebastes marinus . In the Irminger Sea, the proportion of this species is highest in the sub-areas East Greenland North and Central Irminger Sea North. Length-based abundance indices from the Icelandic groundfish survey (which cover the Icelandic shelf) are available for S. marinus from 1985 to 1994. From these indices, a recruitment index was constructed, representing the abundance of 31–35 cm S. marinus . Possible relationships between the recruitment index and the 0-group were investigated by considering different time-lags (10–15 years) between the 0-group appearance and its recruitment to the fishery. A significant relationship with R2 from 0.54 to 0.71 was found by assuming a time-lag of 13 years between the 0-group and the recruitment index.