Cod spatial dynamics (CODYSSEY)
CODYSSEY is a recently EU-funded R&D project into the
movements and behaviour of cod in the NE Atlantic. In collaboration
with 8 other research labs in Europe (see below), over 2000
electronic tags will be deployed on juvenile and adult cod in an
attempt to define characteristic behaviours and migrations of cod
in four different ecosystems: the North Sea, the Baltic Sea,
the Barents Sea and the Icelandic/ Faeroe plateau.
The research programme, led by Cefas will aim: (a) to identify
and describe patterns of migration of cod in relation to the
location of their spawning and nursery grounds in the chosen
ecosystems; (b) to identify the underlying biological mechanisms of
behaviour and migration; (c) to establish the link between the
behaviour of the fish and key physical factors in the marine
environment; (d) to relate behaviour to signature otolith microstructures in order to
develop a systematic behavioural analysis tool (etho-typing); (e)
to incorporate the results in predictive models of vertical and
horizontal movement and (f) to evaluate the results of the model
output in order to evaluate proposed fisheries management measures
aimed at cod stock recovery and to predict the effect of climate
change on cod distribution and behaviour.
www.CODYSSEY.co.uk
Collaborators:
University of Bergen (Norway)
Marine Research Institute (Iceland)
University of Kiel at Hamburg (Germany)
Danish Fisheries Research Institute (DIFRES, Denmark)
Fisheries Research Services (Scotland)
Institute of Marine Research (Norway)
Faeroese Fisheries Laboratory (Faeroe Islands)
Ministry of Fisheries (Sweden)