Production of antifreeze glycoproteins in cultured and wild juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhuaL.) in a common laboratory environment

Abstract

Many fishes accumulate antifreeze proteins or antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) in the blood to increase their chances of survival in cold seawater. Cod (Gadus morhua L.) from colder environments have been found to produce more AFGPs than those from warmer areas, but the genetic and environmental contributions to this variation have not been determined. Populations of cultured (from the Grand Banks; Gulf of Maine) and wild (from Fortune Bay; Bonavista Bay) juvenile cod were kept in a common laboratory environment to investigate differences in AFGP production. All the populations were capable of producing AFGPs, and the AFGP levels were similar in cultured and wild cod. The results indicate that high temperatures associated with the production of cultured cod do not negatively affect the ability to produce AFGPs. In addition, young cod from as far south as the Gulf of Maine are capable of producing AFGPs at levels similar to those from the northeast coast of Newfoundland.