TY - JOUR
T1 - Migration patterns of Greenland halibut in the North Atlantic revealed by a compiled mark–recapture dataset
AU - Vihtakari, Mikko
AU - Elvarsson, Bjarki Þór
AU - Treble, Margaret
AU - Adriana, Adriana
AU - Hussey, Nigel E.
AU - Wheeland, Laura
AU - Roy, Denis
AU - Ofstad, Lise Helen
AU - Hallfredsson, Elvar H.
AU - Barkley, Amanda
AU - Estévez-Barcia, Daniel
AU - Nygaard, Rasmus
AU - Healey, Brian
AU - Steingrund, Petur
AU - Johansen, Torild
AU - Albert, Ole Thomas
AU - Boje, Jesper
PY - 2022/8/9
Y1 - 2022/8/9
N2 - Marine fisheries are often allocated to stocks that reflect pragmatic considerations and may not represent the species’ spatial population structure, increasing the risk of mismanagement and unsustainable harvesting. Here we compile mark–recapture data collected across the North Atlantic to gain insight into the spatial population structure of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), an issue that has been unresolved for decades. The dataset contains 168130 fish tagged from 1952 to 2021, with 5466 (3.3%) recaptured individuals. Our results indicate that fish tagged at <50 cm body length migrate at higher rates, suggesting that mark–recapture studies on adult individuals underestimate population-level migration rates. We find evidence for migrations across management units in the North Atlantic indicating two regional offshore populations: one in the Northeast Atlantic, where the West Nordic and Northeast Arctic stocks, currently managed separately, likely belong to a single population that spans from the Kara Sea to Southeast Greenland; and one in the Northwest Atlantic where migration was observed between the Newfoundland and Labrador stock and the Northwest Arctic stock in Davis Strait and Baffin Bay. Our findings indicate complex population structure with implications for international and domestic fisheries management of this long-lived species.
AB - Marine fisheries are often allocated to stocks that reflect pragmatic considerations and may not represent the species’ spatial population structure, increasing the risk of mismanagement and unsustainable harvesting. Here we compile mark–recapture data collected across the North Atlantic to gain insight into the spatial population structure of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), an issue that has been unresolved for decades. The dataset contains 168130 fish tagged from 1952 to 2021, with 5466 (3.3%) recaptured individuals. Our results indicate that fish tagged at <50 cm body length migrate at higher rates, suggesting that mark–recapture studies on adult individuals underestimate population-level migration rates. We find evidence for migrations across management units in the North Atlantic indicating two regional offshore populations: one in the Northeast Atlantic, where the West Nordic and Northeast Arctic stocks, currently managed separately, likely belong to a single population that spans from the Kara Sea to Southeast Greenland; and one in the Northwest Atlantic where migration was observed between the Newfoundland and Labrador stock and the Northwest Arctic stock in Davis Strait and Baffin Bay. Our findings indicate complex population structure with implications for international and domestic fisheries management of this long-lived species.
KW - biogeography
KW - distribution
KW - fisheries
KW - population structure
KW - Reinhardtius hippoglossoides
KW - tagging
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsac127
U2 - 10.1093/icesjms/fsac127
DO - 10.1093/icesjms/fsac127
M3 - Article
SN - 1054-3139
VL - 79
SP - 1902
EP - 1917
JO - ICES Journal of Marine Science
JF - ICES Journal of Marine Science
IS - 6
M1 - fsac127
ER -