Tag Archives: Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine Cod
A new culprit in cod decline? – Wait. What about that computer model?!!
The species of zooplankton that is one of the preferred foods of larval cod simply can’t take the heat,,,,For decades, the prevailing wisdom in fishery management was that fish stocks such as cod, haddock and flounder would reproduce in numbers sufficient to rebuild decimated populations if fishermen could simply be kept from catching too many.,,,, scientists noticed that plankton surveys showed a decline in some key zooplankton species in areas where the water had warmed. That matched up with portions of the ocean where cod, too, were not doing very well. continued@capecodonline
Research shows dogfish are a significant threat to cod
February 7, 2013 — Dogfish provide significant competition for cod. The estimated biomass of dogfish is 240,000 tons vs. only around 23,000 tons for both Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine Cod. Scientists found dogfish can tolerate temperatures from 32 to 80 degrees, far more than most other fish, meaning as water warms, they can easily adapt to new temperatures. Read more here
