Nonlocal wind-driven fjord–coast advection and its potential effect on plankton and fish recruitment

The Bergen Ocean Model (BOM), a three-dimensional physical coastal ocean model, was used for a numerical simulation experiment to investigate short-term effects of wind-generated coastal upwelling and downwelling on the dynamics of adjacent large outer and smaller inner fjords. The effect of the real alongshore wind regime on advection for an idealized fjord topography, resembling Masfjorden, western Norway, is used as an example. This modelling exercise is a supplement to, and its predictions support, the various hypotheses investigated in ecosystem simulation studies of the Masfjorden. The model predicts that coastal winds from the north cause upwelling and transport the upper water layer out from the fjords. Winds from the south cause downwelling and transport the upper water layer into the fjords. The transport is rapid and ≈50% of the upper water layer may be replaced within 1–2 days. Implications of these physical processes for the dispersal and retention of planktonic organisms and the early life stages of fish are discussed. If strong southerly winds occur frequently, this will transport planktonic organisms into the fjord and may increase the carrying capacity for planktivorous fish. In contrast, frequent strong northerly winds may reduce the abundance of planktonic organisms, including the early life stages of marine fish, and thus possibly reduce recruitment to fjord fish populations. Frequent shifts between southerly and northerly winds would cause an exchange of early life stages between neighbouring fjords and thus enhance genetic exchange.     

Territorial and agonistic interactions between farmed and wild cod (Gadus morhua)

Studies of contest competition between wild and farmed fish have mostly focused on fish with strongly territorial behaviour. Little is known about species with more plastic social behaviour, such as Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.), a species that can either aggressively defend territories or shoal. There is also concern that cod that escape from farms will compete with wild populations. We examined dyadic contest competition between wild and farmed juvenile cod using an intruder–resident experimental set‐up in the laboratory. No prior residency advantage was observed, but the differences between farmed and wild cod were clear. Farmed cod were more submissive than wild cod and fled earlier during contests, which suggests that wild fish often out‐compete farmed intruders. Both fish types initiated aggression earlier against fish of the same background. A multivariate analysis of 11 different behavioural traits indicated that a group of 59% of farmed fish were behaviourally very similar to the 55% most submissive wild fish. These results suggest that wild juvenile cod may be quite robust towards competition for food and shelter from juvenile farmed cod, but further research is needed to verify this pattern.     

The selectivity for cod (Gadus morhua L.) in two experimental trammel-nets and one gillnet

The present study analyses the selectivity for cod in two trammel-nets (three-wall nets) and one gillnet (single-wall net) used during an experimental cod fishery conducted monthly from october 1985 to December 1988 in a Norwegian fjord. It is part of a cod enhancement experiment conducted in the fjord. The three nets were grouped and utilized to sample the wild cod population. In addition, the gillnet and one trammel-net were utilized to sample a tagged group of cod with a known length composition. Relative selectivity curves were estimated indirectly for the two trammel-nets by comparing the catches of each length class within the length range 18–58 cm. Absolute selectivity curves were estimated directly for the gillnet and one trammel-net for the length range 15.0–22.0 cm. These were utilized to verify the indirectly estimated curves. The trammel-net selectivity curves obtained were used to provide an estimate for the true length-frequency distribution of cod in the fjord. Finally, it was tested whether a group of the three nets may be utilized as a unit effort to provide approximate random samples from the population.     

Validating timing of salmon smolt runs obtained by telemetry studies

Telemetry tags are increasingly used in management to monitor the migration timing of Atlantic salmon smolts (Salmo salar L.). It has been postulated that (1) effects from tagging and handling may alter migration behaviour, and (2) that the selection of fish during sampling is not representative of all migrating smolts, yielding bias in migration timing estimates. In the River Dale (Vestland, Norway), five groups of wild Atlantic salmon smolts (N = 385) were tagged in April–May and recaptured in a wolf trap. Migration timing was then compared to the untagged population. Migration timing differed between tagged (12 mm PIT) and untagged fish for 4/5 groups. Only fish tagged at the first time point did not have significantly different timing of migration from untagged counterparts. The relationship between length and the timing of migration was different for initial length and length at recapture; initial length suggested earlier migration of longer fish, but the extra time spent in the river prior to migrating for smolts that were initially smaller compensated for the size difference. The tagging protocol is crucial to obtaining representative migration timing results. Smolts should be tagged as early as possible and include the entire size distribution.     

The enhancement of cod stocks

Atlantic cod have been a primary target for marine stock enhancement since the 1880s. In the early part of this period, hatched larvae were released in Norway, the USA and Canada. The last larval releases were conducted in Norway in 1971, and a century of cod larvae releases were halted without any clear evidence of benefit. Since the early 1980s, the focus has been on production of larger, more viable juvenile cod. Emphasis has been given to the design of tag–release programmes involving large-scale releases and ecosystem analysis in selected ecosystems. Most of this research has been carried out in Norway, where more than one million tagged juvenile cod have been released. Smaller stocking experiments have also been performed in Denmark, Sweden, the Faroe Islands and the USA.
This paper reviews the major findings from these programmes. We include summaries and evaluations of rearing techniques for juvenile cod, methods of tagging and recapture, experimental fishing, migration, mortality and growth rates in the different habitats, genetic analysis, and ecosystem studies that have tried to describe the variation in the cod carrying capacity of selected release areas.
Despite relatively large variation in environmental conditions, in cod production and in fishing mortality along the Norwegian coast, results indicate that, under the conditions experienced during the 1980s and 1990s, releases of juvenile cod did not significantly increase cod production and catches. The biological limitations and future prospects of Atlantic cod stock enhancement are addressed.     

The Effect of Photoperiod on Sexual Maturation,Appetite and Growth in Wild Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua L.)

An experiment was conducted to examine (a) the effects of photoperiod on timing of sexual maturation (b) the relationship between plasma steroid levels, appetite and growth in male and female Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.). Wild caught Norwegian coastal cod were subjected to either a 6L/18D photoperiod typical of January at 60° N-(Short day group) or a simulated natural photoperiod (Normal day group) from June 2000 until spawning started. Appetite of individual fish were measured twice weekly, while weight, length and plasma levels of the sex steroids testosterone (T), 11 keto-testosterone (11-KT) and estradiol-17β (E2) were monitored bimonthly. Cod in the Short day group matured 3 months ahead of the cod in the Normal day group and started spawning in early November. Appetite decreased in both sexes 2–3 months prior to spawning in both groups, but this reduction was stronger among males. In both sexes, length growth was reduced concurrently with the appetite loss. Overall, females had significantly higher somatic growth, put relatively less energy into length growth and had developed larger livers compared to males at the time of spawning in the Short day group. Plasma steroid levels increased in both groups throughout the experiment, reaching peak levels of ca 10 ng ml⁻¹ (T) and 15–20 ng ml⁻¹ (11-KT) in males, and 1.5–2 ng ml⁻¹ (T) and 12–18 ng ml⁻¹ (E2) in females at the onset of spawning. Steroid levels increased more rapidly among Short day cod verifying the earlier onset of maturation. These results confirm that photoperiod is a major cue to maturation in cod and imply that the high cost of spawning for females incur differences in appetite between the sexes.