Patterns in the Annual Weight Increment for Div. 2J+3KL Cod and Possible Prediction for Stock ProjectionP.A. Shelton, G.R. Lilly and E. Colbourne
Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, P. O. Box 5667
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada A1C 5X1
Source - Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science, Volume 25: 151-159
ISSN-0250-6408
Sample body weight-at-age data for NAFO Divisions 2J+3KL cod (Gadus morhua) from research vessel surveys were examined. Considerable variability in annual weight increment was found. A general linear model containing division and age effects explained 36% of the variance in the logarithm of annual weight increment. The residuals from this model showed a temporal pattern which appears to correspond to changes in the area of the cold intermediate layer (<0°C), an indicator of the amount of cold water on the shelf. Including the area of the CIL resulted in a model which explained 41% of the variability in weight increments. This model predicted weight increment data not included in the fitting reasonably well. Consideration is given to whether a predictive model based on this relationship could be useful in stock projections.
Language - English
Publisher - Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), Dartmouth, N.S., Canada
Publication Date - October 1999
Publication Type - Journal Article
Descriptors - cod, cold intermediate layer, prediction, stock projection, weight increment