Publication Abstract

Herring in warmer waters

M. Heino and G.H. Engelhard

Climate change may cause herring to reproduce less often! We recently found that adult herring of the important ‘Norwegian spring-spawners’ stock do not always spawn each year, but can also skip a spawning season; especially the second spawning migration is frequently skipped. Analysis of long-term historical time-series revealed that this occurs more frequently under warmer climatic conditions. This is probably caused by better prey availability in cooler years. Thus, climate change may make skipped spawning more frequent and negatively impact the reproductive potential of this stock.

Reference

M. Heino and G.H. Engelhard (2006) Herring in warming waters: climate change may cause herring to reproduce less often. Options, 2006 (4): 9