Publication Abstract

Temperature and the recruitment of Atlantic cod

B. Planque and T. Fredou

Variability in the recruitment of fish has been attributed to either changes in the environment or variations in the size of reproductive stocks. Disentangling the effects of environment and stock has proven to be problematic and has resulted in recurrent controversy between studies supporting either one or the other hypothesis. In the present study, we examine the relationship between interannual changes in temperature and variation in recruitment for nine cod stocks in the North Atlantic. We show that for individual stocks, the relationship often appears weak and statistically not significant. On the other hand, by combining in a single meta-analysis the results from individual stocks we demonstrate that recruitment of Atlantic cod is linked to interannual fluctuations in temperature in such a way that for stocks located in warm water the relationship is negative, for stocks located in cold water the relationship is positive and there is no relationship for stocks located in the middle of the temperature range.

Reference:

B. Planque and T. Fredou, 1999. Temperature and the recruitment of Atlantic cod. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 56(11): 2069-2077