Acronym METAGADOID
Category
Fisheries
Title Metapopulation structuring within gadoids in the north east Atlantic Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Peter Wright Coordinator email P.J.Wright@marlab.ac.uk
Coordinator institution
FRS - Fisheries Research Services (United Kingdom)
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2003 End year 2007 Funding (€) € 170,000 Website https://nerc.ukri.org/research/funded/programmes/marinebioresources/scoping-study-appendix/ Summary Gadoids, and especially cod and haddock, congregate annually at particular geographical locations to spawn. Evidence from genetic and tagging studies indicates that these different spawning congregations can represent more or less discrete groups of fish, which return to the same location each year. Catch control measures designed to manage the population abundance of fish stocks are, for practical reasons, applied at spatial scales which can encompass the annual migration ranges of many individual spawning congregations. Conversely, migration routes of some spawning congregations may straddle different management units. Hence, stock management units can comprise a number of reproductively distinct populations and the genetic composition of management units may vary seasonally. Many declines in fish stock abundance have been associated with a contraction in spatial distribution and loss of distinct reproductive populations. Failure to recognise population structuring has been linked with inflated estimates of particular year-classes and the overestimation of total stock abundance. Indeed, there is now evidence that the presence of populations with differing dynamics and responses to environmental variability helps to sustain the overall productivity of fish stocks. Maintaining this population diversity is not recognised as an objective of current fisheries management, although it has been identified in reviews of the precautionary approach to fisheries management. The overall objective of this project is to improve our understanding of population structuring in gadoids in order that future approaches for conserving or restoring population diversity can be developed. The project aims to establish the degree of reproductive isolation of haddock and whiting spawning congregations within the North Sea and VIa using newly developed micro-satellite DNA markers for these species. Population structuring will be examined within the context of metapopulation theory to consider the potential for extinction and re-colonisation among spawning congregations. The potential impacts on current management strategies, and potential new spatially explicit management strategies incorporating these findings will be examined.
Goals:
(1) Establish the degree of reproductive isolation of haddock and whiting spawning congregations using newly developed micro-satellite DNA markers for these species Identify spawning locations within the North Sea and West of Scotland VIa Examine geographic scaling of genetic differences within these regions and compare to outlying spawning areas in the north east Atlantic using micro-satellite DNA markers; (2) Determine nursery contribution to spawning areas using otolith microchemistry; (3) Analyse juvenile and adult tagging data to consider seasonal movements among spawning congregations.
Keywords
Fisheries management;
Haddock;
Fish;
Genetic;
Fish biology;
Cod;
Marine Region
26
Northwest Coast of Scotland and North Ireland (27.VIa)
1
Marine Region Map
