Surveying the younger age grows of saithe - experiences from a small scale acoustic survey at the coast of western Finnmark
Abstract
The small saithe (1- and 2- group) is mainly distributed in fairly shallow areas close to the
Norwegian coast from Rogaland to eastern Finnmark. It is known to occur quite regularily at
certain localities. It is usually schooling, at least in daylight. Thus, by using a small vessel
equipped with an echo sounder it is usually easy to detect. This paper discuss the possibilities
of acoustic surveying a fixed number of known "saithe localities" to obtain a yearclass index.
Hypothesis regarding the distribution pattern and fish behaviour are presented, and the
cosequences for the reliability of a survey index are discussed. Absolute estimates seem
unrealistic, because a large proportion of the most important areas can not be surveyed even
with a small vessel. Results from a survey in western Finnmark during early August 1993 are
presented and discussed. The results indicate that in these areas the 1- group tended to stay
rather close to the shore, while the 2- group showed a more favourable distribution. At the
lower limit of its vertical distribution range it showed some overlap with the 3- group.
Description
Precision and relevance of pre-recruit studies for fishery management related to fish stocks in the Barents Sea and adjacent waters. Proceeding of the sixth IMR-PINRO Symposium Bergen, 14-17 June 1994.
Series
PINRO-IMR Symposium6