Annual, seasonal and spatial differences in the growth rate of Baltic cod larvae and early juveniles in relation to zooplankton biomass fluctuations in 2006-2014

It is an acknowledged theory that a faster growth rate, determined by various environmental drivers, may boost the survival of larval and juvenile fish. In this study we examined the differences in the growth rate of larval and juvenile cod (age 2 – 136 d; SL: 4.1 – 39.2 mm) between the years 2006 a...

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Main Authors: Spich Katarzyna, Fey Dariusz Piotr
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sciendo 2023-12-01
Series:Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.26881/oahs-2023.4.02
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author Spich Katarzyna
Fey Dariusz Piotr
author_facet Spich Katarzyna
Fey Dariusz Piotr
author_sort Spich Katarzyna
collection DOAJ
description It is an acknowledged theory that a faster growth rate, determined by various environmental drivers, may boost the survival of larval and juvenile fish. In this study we examined the differences in the growth rate of larval and juvenile cod (age 2 – 136 d; SL: 4.1 – 39.2 mm) between the years 2006 and 2014, sub-areas of the Baltic Sea (Bornholm Basin, BB; Słupsk Furrow, SF; Gdansk Basin, GB), and seasons (spring and summer). The average growth rate for all specimens was 0.25 mm/d, with significantly lower values between 2012 and 2014 than between 2006 and 2011. A reduction in zooplankton biomass, especially the large zooplankton fraction, was observed after the 2006–2008 period, which was related to the prevailing temperature conditions in the surface layers. The reduction in zooplankton biomass was accompanied by changes in the structure of zooplankton: less T. longicornis, C. hamatus, and Pseudocalanus spp., and more Acartia spp. The results suggest that the inter-annual differences observed in zooplankton biomass and structure are likely responsible for the observed reduction in the growth rate of cod larvae between 2012 and 2014 compared to the years between 2006 and 2011. The growth rate reduction could be one of the reasons for the decline in the recruitment of eastern Baltic cod between the years 2013 and 2015, after the high recruitment years of the period 2011-2012.
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spelling doaj-art-f0dabe7acef64d7ab0e0ed970b78bfb82025-01-20T11:10:23ZengSciendoOceanological and Hydrobiological Studies1897-31912023-12-0152439941910.26881/oahs-2023.4.02Annual, seasonal and spatial differences in the growth rate of Baltic cod larvae and early juveniles in relation to zooplankton biomass fluctuations in 2006-2014Spich Katarzyna0Fey Dariusz Piotr1National Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Department of Fisheries Oceanography and Marine Ecology, Gdynia, PolandNational Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Department of Fisheries Oceanography and Marine Ecology, Gdynia, PolandIt is an acknowledged theory that a faster growth rate, determined by various environmental drivers, may boost the survival of larval and juvenile fish. In this study we examined the differences in the growth rate of larval and juvenile cod (age 2 – 136 d; SL: 4.1 – 39.2 mm) between the years 2006 and 2014, sub-areas of the Baltic Sea (Bornholm Basin, BB; Słupsk Furrow, SF; Gdansk Basin, GB), and seasons (spring and summer). The average growth rate for all specimens was 0.25 mm/d, with significantly lower values between 2012 and 2014 than between 2006 and 2011. A reduction in zooplankton biomass, especially the large zooplankton fraction, was observed after the 2006–2008 period, which was related to the prevailing temperature conditions in the surface layers. The reduction in zooplankton biomass was accompanied by changes in the structure of zooplankton: less T. longicornis, C. hamatus, and Pseudocalanus spp., and more Acartia spp. The results suggest that the inter-annual differences observed in zooplankton biomass and structure are likely responsible for the observed reduction in the growth rate of cod larvae between 2012 and 2014 compared to the years between 2006 and 2011. The growth rate reduction could be one of the reasons for the decline in the recruitment of eastern Baltic cod between the years 2013 and 2015, after the high recruitment years of the period 2011-2012.https://doi.org/10.26881/oahs-2023.4.02gadus morhuagrowth ratefishearly life stageszooplanktonotolithsmicroincrements
spellingShingle Spich Katarzyna
Fey Dariusz Piotr
Annual, seasonal and spatial differences in the growth rate of Baltic cod larvae and early juveniles in relation to zooplankton biomass fluctuations in 2006-2014
Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies
gadus morhua
growth rate
fish
early life stages
zooplankton
otoliths
microincrements
title Annual, seasonal and spatial differences in the growth rate of Baltic cod larvae and early juveniles in relation to zooplankton biomass fluctuations in 2006-2014
title_full Annual, seasonal and spatial differences in the growth rate of Baltic cod larvae and early juveniles in relation to zooplankton biomass fluctuations in 2006-2014
title_fullStr Annual, seasonal and spatial differences in the growth rate of Baltic cod larvae and early juveniles in relation to zooplankton biomass fluctuations in 2006-2014
title_full_unstemmed Annual, seasonal and spatial differences in the growth rate of Baltic cod larvae and early juveniles in relation to zooplankton biomass fluctuations in 2006-2014
title_short Annual, seasonal and spatial differences in the growth rate of Baltic cod larvae and early juveniles in relation to zooplankton biomass fluctuations in 2006-2014
title_sort annual seasonal and spatial differences in the growth rate of baltic cod larvae and early juveniles in relation to zooplankton biomass fluctuations in 2006 2014
topic gadus morhua
growth rate
fish
early life stages
zooplankton
otoliths
microincrements
url https://doi.org/10.26881/oahs-2023.4.02
work_keys_str_mv AT spichkatarzyna annualseasonalandspatialdifferencesinthegrowthrateofbalticcodlarvaeandearlyjuvenilesinrelationtozooplanktonbiomassfluctuationsin20062014
AT feydariuszpiotr annualseasonalandspatialdifferencesinthegrowthrateofbalticcodlarvaeandearlyjuvenilesinrelationtozooplanktonbiomassfluctuationsin20062014