Abstract
Abstract
Fat content indicates individual condition and fuels annual reproductive cycles in many fish species. These cycles, coupled with ecosystem changes, can result in large intra- and inter-annual fluctuations in fat content. However, quantifying this variability is challenging when scientific sampling does not cover the full reproductive cycle. Scottish and Dutch fish processors routinely measure muscle fat content of North Sea autumn-spawning herring (Clupea harengus) throughout fishing seasons. We validated these high temporal resolution data by estimating a strong intra-annual signal in fat content, which matched herring reproductive status. Fat content increased from 4.5% 95% CI [0.03, 0.06] to 16.1% 95% CI [0.15, 0.17] during May and June before plateauing and decreasing to 9.1% 95% CI [0.08, 0.10] in September, which coincided with the onset of spawning. We also examined inter-annual variability in the seasonal pattern and the timing and magnitude of peak fat content from 2006 to 2020. Inter-annually, fat content differed from the mean pattern during the feeding or spawning periods in years 2013, 2015–2017, 2019, and 2020. There was no difference in the timing and magnitude of peak fat content between years. Our study validates the scientific use of routinely collected fat content data from pelagic fish processors.
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Ecology,Aquatic Science,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics,Oceanography
Reference44 articles.
1. Seasonal changes in crude and lipid composition of herring fillets, byproducts, and respective produced oils;Aidos;Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,2002
2. Comparative biology and population mixing among local, coastal and offshore Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and western Baltic;Berg;PloS ONE,2017
3. Spatio-temporal patterns and environmental controls of small pelagic fish body condition from contrasted Mediterranean areas;Brosset;Progress in Oceanography,2017
4. Influence of environmental variability and age on the body condition of small pelagic fish in the Gulf of Lions;Brosset;Marine Ecology Progress Series,2015
5. Oogenesis, fecundity and condition of Baltic herring (Clupea harengus L.): a stereological study;Bucholtz;Fisheries Research,2013
Cited by
3 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献