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Climate effects on size‐at‐age: growth in warming waters compensates for earlier maturity in an exploited marine fish
Author(s) -
Neuheimer Anna B.,
Grønkjær Peter
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02673.x
Subject(s) - fishing , fishery , biology , climate change , fish stock , stock (firearms) , population , sea surface temperature , biomass (ecology) , stock assessment , oceanography , environmental science , ecology , geography , demography , archaeology , sociology , geology
Abstract Over the past 3 decades, N orth Sea A tlantic cod ( G adus morhua ) have exhibited variable length‐at‐age along with declines in spawning stock biomass and timing of maturity. Multiple factors affecting growth and development in fish acted on this economically important stock over the same period including warming waters and an intensive fishery. Here, we employ N orth Sea cod as a model population, exploring how a physiologically relevant temperature metric (the growing degree‐day, GDD ; °C day) can be used to compare year‐classes on a physiologically relevant time‐scale, disentangling influences of climate (thermal history) on observed length‐at‐age trends. We conclude that the trends in N orth Sea cod length‐at‐age observed during the last three decades can be explained by a combination of temperature‐dependent growth increases and a trend toward earlier maturation, the latter likely induced by the intensive fishing pressure, and possibly evidence of fisheries‐induced evolution.