Scientists study how environmental factors and food availability affect the cod and its body growth in different life stages.
The cod eats different prey during different life stages: first zooplankton, then benthic crustaceans, and finally, when it has grown large enough, mainly sprat and herring. Which is why it’s important to connect the growth analysis to specific life stage.
“We try to identify possible “bottle necks” in body growth during the cods entire lifetime, that might help explain the stocks development and ability to recover”, says Anna Gårdmark, associate professor at Department of Aquatic Resources, SLU.
The goal is to identify possible critical stages during the life of the cod, when it is particularly sensitive to environmental effects and food availability. The analysis contains a comparative study of two different cod stocks: one in the Baltic Sea and one off the Atlantic coast of Canada.
To learn more about the DEMO-project and the study please see link below.