Linking tagging technology and molecular genetics to gain insight in the spatial dynamics of two stocks of cod in Northeast Atlantic waters

Abstract

The Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua L.: NEAC) is thought to be the most abundant cod stock in the North Atlantic, while the catches of the partially co-occurring Norwegian coastal cod (NCC) stocks have dramatically decreased in recent years. At the same time, reports on climate change have caused a growing concern about climate impact on life in the ocean. For effective management it is necessary to be able to partition the variability in fish populations into environmental, genetic and fisheries effects. In the present study we have combined information from molecular genetic methods and electronic data storage tags (DST) to study spatial dynamics, such as distribution, behaviour and environmental conditions experienced by individuals fish from the two cod stocks NEAC and NCC in spawning area Lofoten in the North-east Atlantic.