Spatial changes in the sensitivity of Atlantic cod to climate-driven effects in the plankton

• Published in: Climate Research
• Main Authors: Beaugrand, Gregory, Kirby, R.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences (LOG) - UMR 8187 (LOG), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale (ULCO)-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Nord )
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2010
• Subjects: [SDU.STU.OC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Oceanography; atlantic cod; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00761998; https://hal.science/hal-00761998/document; https://hal.science/hal-00761998/file/c041p015.pdf; https://doi.org/10.3354/cr00838

International audience Recent strategies to sustain fish stocks have suggested a move towards an ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) approach. While EBFM considers the effect of fishing at the ecosystem level, it generally struggles with climate-driven environmental variability. In this study we show that the position of a fish stock within its distributional range or thermal niche (we use Icelandic and North Sea cod as examples of stocks at the centre and edge of their niche, respectively) will influence the relative importance of fishing and climate on abundance. At the warmer edge of the thermal niche of cod in the North Sea, we show a prominent influence of climate on the cod stock that is mediated through temperature effects on the plankton. In contrast, the influence of climate through its effects on plankton appears much less important at the present centre of the niche around Iceland. Recognising the potentially strong effect of climate on fish stocks, at a time of rapid global climate change, is probably an important prerequisite towards the synthesis of a cod management strategy.