The Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture is providing $50,000 in funding toward a cod stock identification project.
The project will be led by Dr George Rose of the Marine Institute’s Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER). The funding will be provided through the Cod Recovery Strategy.
The project will involve a multi-phase study of the chemical composition of ear bones of cod (otoliths), which provide indicators of the spawning origin and migration history of individual fish in the waters off Newfoundland and Labrador.
The study will be carried out in several phases. The first phase will use an existing otolith collection to test the effects of fish size, growth, age and year of birth on chemical composition of otoliths, in various sites from Labrador to the south coast of the island.
The second phase will involve the testing of specific stock structure variables, such as migration, on local cod groups in areas such as Smith Sound in Trinity Bay.
The third phase will involve the study of samples collected during the winter trips of the Celtic Explorer and by commercial fishing vessels on the Flemish Cap.
“The stock structures of cod in our waters may be more fluid than previously thought, especially with the effects of climate change,” said Dr Rose. “Because stock structure forms the very basis of management, it is essential that we get a better handle on these issues. Otolith microchemistry is thought to be the most promising way to do this. In combination with genetics, it may give us the most accurate picture of where cod comes from and where they go over a lifetime.”
As part of this project, there will be collaboration with scientists at Dalhousie University who are interested in stock structure and otolith structure. As well, industry collaboration will take place with the Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council, which will provide in-kind support with fish samples from the Flemish Cap.
