Report of the ICES/GLOBEC Workshop in the Dynamics of Growth in Cod (Including CD-Rom from ICES ASC 2001)

Growth rate varies widely among cod stocks. Large changes in growth rate have also been observed within many cod stocks and have important consequences for the productivity of these stocks. Variation in growth rate may reflect effects of temperature change, density dependence (i.e., changes in per capita prey availability due to variation in prey or cod abundance), changes in maturation schedules, changes in size-selective fishing mortality, changes in activity of the fish or adaptive (genetic) change. An understanding of the causes of variation in growth rate among and within cod stocks may lead to improved forecasts of stock biomass and productivity, and is required to assess the likely impacts of climate change on cod populations. The ICES/GLOBEC Working Group on Cod and Climate Change held a Workshop on the Dynamics of Growth in Cod in May 2000, with the aim of exploring the causes of growth variability and developing a single growth model for cod that will allow interpretation of information from all parts the geographic range of cod.