Geographic variation and juvenile migration in Atlantic redfish inferred from otolith microchemistry
Christoph Stransky A D , C.-Dieter Garbe-Schönberg B and Detlef Günther CA Federal Research Centre for Fisheries, Institute for Sea Fisheries, Palmaille 9, 22767 Hamburg, Germany.
B University of Kiel, Institute of Geosciences, Department of Geology, Olshausenstr. 40, 24118 Kiel, Germany.
C Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, ETH Hönggerberg, HCI, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
D Corresponding author. Email: christoph.stransky@ish.bfa-fisch.de
Marine and Freshwater Research 56(5) 677-691 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF04153
Submitted: 13 July 2004 Accepted: 12 April 2005 Published: 24 July 2005
Abstract
Golden redfish (Sebastes marinus) and deep-sea redfish (S. mentella) are heavily exploited fish resources in the North Atlantic, but their stock delineation remains unresolved. The present study examined the use of otolith microchemistry as a stock separation tool for redfish. By determining minor and trace elements in redfish otoliths from various areas in the North Atlantic, geographic and temporal variations in otolith microchemistry were investigated. Relatively high temporal stability in otolith elemental composition was found for juvenile redfish from nursery areas off East Greenland. Elemental concentrations in the nucleus, juvenile and marginal otolith zones differed significantly between areas and showed consistent longitudinal trends for some elements. Multivariate analysis of element constituents by area, however, revealed poor geographic separation (< 50% cross-validated classification) for both species. Otoliths of juvenile S. mentella from demersal nursery grounds and adjacent pelagic habitats showed no significant differences between areas. The results are in accordance with the recently observed low morphometric and genetic heterogeneity of redfish across the North Atlantic. It is, however, unclear if the lack of clear spatial separation by natal signatures is due to a common origin of the investigated fish or due to limited variability of the chemical composition of their ambient environment.
Extra keywords: elemental signatures, LA-ICP-MS, North Atlantic, Sebastes marinus, Sebastes mentella.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to Fran Saborido-Rey (Institute of Marine Research, Vigo, Spain), Margaret Treble (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba), Thorsteinn Sigurdsson (Marine Research Institute, Reykjavík, Iceland), Jakúp Reinert (Faroese Fisheries Laboratory, Torshavn, Faroe Islands) and Kjell Nedreaas (Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway) for providing redfish otoliths. The Greenland and Irminger Sea samples were collected onboard the German FRV ‘Walther Herwig III’ with the help of several staff members and volunteers. Manfred Stein (Federal Research Centre for Fisheries, Institute for Sea Fisheries, Hamburg, Germany) introduced the first author to Ocean Data View, oceanographic databases and recent knowledge on current patterns and water masses in the North Atlantic. Philip Yeats (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Canada) gave advice on trace element properties and distribution across the North Atlantic, and Friedrich Nast (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie, Deutsches Ozeanographisches Datenzentrum, Hamburg, Germany) helped with collating data on contaminant concentrations in the North Atlantic. Cornelius Hammer and Soenke Jansen gave helpful comments on the manuscript, further valuable suggestions were made by Steve Campana and two anonymous referees. This work was partly funded by the European Commission within the 5th Framework Programme, Specific Programme ‘Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources’, Key Action 5: ‘Sustainable Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’ (R&D project REDFISH, QLK5-CT1999-01222). Travel funds for the first author’s participation in the ‘Third International Symposium on Fish Otolith Research and Application’, where this work was presented, were provided by Stiftung Seeklar and Hansische Universitätsstiftung.
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