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Residency and depth movements of a coastal group of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.)

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Abstract

Atlantic cod stocks are subdivided into geographically and biologically discrete populations; some being locally resident, others migratory. The reasons for the variation in migration pattern and the consequences it may have for population structuring is poorly understood. We studied a group of cod from the coastal waters of the Shetland Isles in the northern North Sea. During the spawning season, electronic tags that record depth and temperature over time were implanted into 133 individuals and the fish released within a few kilometres of where they were captured. Thirty-nine cod have been recaptured up to 608 days later, throughout the year and, in all but two cases, within 15 km of their release site. Geolocation methods based on temperature and bathymetry also suggested that the cod had a limited home range, remaining resident year-round in coastal waters. The cod were deeper during the winter and moved to shallower water in late spring and summer. They showed diel, fortnightly and monthly cycles in depth movement that varied much within and between individuals over the season. Residency and the individual variability in vertical movement may reflect a combination of locally complex depth strata, variable seabed substrate and the wide range of seasonally available prey resources.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the skipper and crew of FRV ‘Clupea’ and the fishermen who have co-operated by returning tagged fish to us. We are grateful to G. Slesser for provision of the hydrographic data, K. Mutch for graphics, and B. Turrell, R. Fryer and an anonymous reviewer for comments on the manuscript. This research was funded by EU projects METACOD (Q5RS-2001-00953), CODYSSEY (QLRT-2001-00813) and the Scottish Executive (MF 0756). Figure 4 was derived from DigBath250 with permission of the British Geological Survey. ©NERC. All rights reserved. All work was carried out under a UK Home Office Animals (Scientific Procedures) license.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Laboratory, Fisheries Research Services, 375 Victoria Road, 101, AB11 9DB, Aberdeen, UK

    Francis C. Neat, Peter J. Wright, Alain F. Zuur, Iain M. Gibb, Fiona M. Gibb & David Tulett

  2. Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Pakefield Road, NR33 0HT, Lowestoft, UK

    David A. Righton & Robert J. Turner

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  1. Francis C. Neat
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  2. Peter J. Wright
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  3. Alain F. Zuur
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  7. David A. Righton
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Correspondence to Francis C. Neat.

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Communicated by J.P. Thorpe, Port Erin

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Neat, F.C., Wright, P.J., Zuur, A.F. et al. Residency and depth movements of a coastal group of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.). Marine Biology 148, 643–654 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-0110-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-0110-6

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