Linking spawning ground extent to environmental factors - patterns and dispersal during the egg phase of four North Sea fishes

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• Main Authors: Hoffle, Hannes, van Damme, Cindy J. G., Fox, Clive, Lelievre, Stephanie, Loots, Christophe, Nash, Richard D. M., Vaz, Sandrine, Wright, Peter J., Munk, Peter
• Other Authors: Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Laboratoire Ressources Halieutiques de Boulogne (LRHBL), Unité Halieutique Manche Mer du Nord (HMMN), Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), Laboratoire Environnement Ressources de Bretagne Nord (LERBN), Unité Littoral (LITTORAL), MARine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation (UMR MARBEC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2018
• Subjects: [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; [SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology; environment/Ecosystems; atlantic cod; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01826721; https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2016-0310

International audience Previous studies have shown that four commercially important demersal species, namely Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), whiting (Merlangius merlangus), and European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), spawn in distinct areas across the North Sea. Based on two comprehensive ichthyoplankton surveys in 2004 and 2009, the present study uses generalized additive mixed models to delimit these spawning grounds using the distribution of recently spawned eggs, investigates their relationship to specific environmental conditions, and examines egg dispersal during their development. Results indicate that presence-absence of early stage eggs is more related to temporal and topographic variables, while egg densities are closely linked with hydrography. Egg distribution patterns were relatively consistent during development and only changed near hatching. Compared with historic observations, the location of the spawning grounds appeared stable on the broad scale but centres of egg abundance varied between the surveyed years. Potential effects of long-term climate change and anthropogenic short-term disturbances, such as seismic surveys, on fish reproduction are discussed, pointing out the demand for multispecies studies on these issues.