Growth, maturation, diet and distribution of saithe (Pollachius virens) in Faroese waters (NE Atlantic)

Saithe (Pollachius virens) in Faroese waters is a stock that is very important for the Faroese economy. Previous studies have provided information on juvenile saithe, but only sporadic information on the general biology of adult saithe is available in the published literature. Here, we present the basic biology of Faroe saithe based on data from Faroese groundfish surveys. Spawning appears presently to occur earlier in the year than in the early twentieth century, and the main spawning seems to occur on the eastern part of the Faroe Plateau. There is a gradual movement of saithe into deeper water with increasing size, which may well reflect a shift in diet with age. Together with changes associated with maturation, this may explain the change observed in the growth pattern around the age of 4 years. The diet of adult Faroe saithe is dominated by young blue whiting in August, whereas Norway pout, sandeel and blue whiting are equally important in March, but the stomach fullness is substantially higher in summer.