Environmental influence on the spawning distributionand migration pattern of northern blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou)

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.

Postspawning blue whiting migrate from the spawning grounds west of the British Isles, past the Faroe Islands and into the feeding areas in the Norwegian Sea during the spring months March to early June. The changeable migratory route through Faroese waters, as inferred from fisheries statistics, is found to be closely linked to the hydrography along the Rockall Bank, as simulated by an ocean circulation model. A variable spawning intensity around the bank is suggested as the causal mechanism for this link. The observed variability is primarily governed by the strength and extent of the subpolar gyre. Utilizing apparent links between the atmospheric forcing and the subpolar gyre dynamics, the environmental spawning and recruitment conditions for the present (2007) season is forecasted.