Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023

Spatial variation in cod growth as it relates to economically valuable traits

Höfundar / Authors: Pamela J. Woods, Bjarki Þ. Elvarsson, Sandra Rybicki, Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir, Freydís Vigfúsdóttir, Daði Már Kristófersson

Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Marine and Freshwater Research Institute

Kynnir / Presenter: Pamela J. Woods

A common goal of fisheries policy is to maximize profit from the fishing industry as a whole while providing future opportunities for fishing sustainably in the long-term and conserving marine resources. These goals are most often accomplished via regulations that limit fishing activities to those that are most likely to provide long-term sustainability. Stock assessment models that model population dynamics are used to inform advice regarding fishing populations. However, population dynamics can also have dependencies on biological properties that vary temporally or spatially, such as growth, details that are often not accounted for in stock assessment. In this study, we compare spatial variation in cod growth around Iceland and compare it to product traits known to provide a price premium, including size and gut ratio. Potential implications for fisheries management and maximising optimal yield are discussed.