Pronounced long-term juvenation in the spawning stock of Arcto-Norwegian cod (Gadus morhua) and possible consequences for recruitment

Abstract

The oldest and largest individuals are disappearing from many fish stocks worldwide as a result of overexploitation. This has been suggested to impair recruitment through decreasing the reproductive capacity of the spawners and increasing the mortality rate of the offspring. By using a time series on spawners biomass by age class for Arcto-Norwegian cod (Gadus morhua) from 1913–2004, I have documented pronounced changes in the spawning stock, including a trend towards younger fish, a less diverse distribution across ages, and a declining proportion of repeat spawners. Despite the total spawning stock biomass (SSB) being at similar levels now as in 1933, the mean age in the SSB has declined from 10–12.5 years to 7–8 years during the study period, and the percentage of fish of age 10 or above in the SSB has decreased from ~97% to ~10%. Contrary to earlier theoretical and experimental studies, no clear link between age structure and recruitment was found here. Recruitment to the Arcto-Norwegian cod stock may thus be more robust towards spawner juvenation than expected, possibly because of strong recruitment compensation.