Natural mortality of cod (Gadus morhua) in the Southern Gulf of St Lawrence
The closure of the cod fishery in Canada's southern Gulf of St Lawrence, and the existence of a reliable research vessel (RV) survey of the stock, has provided a unique opportunity to directly estimate the instantaneous rate of natural mortality (M) of a commercial cod stock. The results indica...
| Published in: | ICES Journal of Marine Science |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2001
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/58/1/1 https://doi.org/10.1006/jmsc.1999.0490 |
| Summary: | The closure of the cod fishery in Canada's southern Gulf of St Lawrence, and the existence of a reliable research vessel (RV) survey of the stock, has provided a unique opportunity to directly estimate the instantaneous rate of natural mortality (M) of a commercial cod stock. The results indicate that M is currently in the range of 0.4, which is higher than the value of 0.2 assumed in the past. An M of 0.4 is not inconsistent with the observed age range of cod in commercial catches and with recent growth characteristics of the stock. There is evidence that M may have increased in the early 1980s. |
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