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Temporal variability in size and growth of Atlantic herring in the Gulf of Maine
Author(s) -
Becker James R.,
Cieri Matthew D.,
Libby David A.,
St. Gelais Adam,
Sherwood Graham,
Chen Yong
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.14430
Subject(s) - atlantic herring , clupea , herring , biology , fishery , population , population density , population size , salinity , abundance (ecology) , sampling (signal processing) , population growth , oceanography , ecology , fish <actinopterygii> , demography , filter (signal processing) , sociology , computer science , computer vision , geology
Variability in life history traits and structural diversity of commercially exploited fishes in response to stress can impact their population dynamics and sustainability. Using data from a fishery dependent sampling program from 1978 to 2011, we evaluated temporal variability of size and growth of adult Atlantic herring ( Clupea harengus ) in the Gulf of Maine. We then developed and tested the hypotheses on the links of such temporal changes to population density and environmental factors and found decreases in size and growth potential. Generalized additive models found that density dependence was the main driver of such changes over sea surface temperature and salinity. Our results highlight the importance of density dependent processes in regulating growth and population size structure for Atlantic herring in the Gulf of Maine.