Report of the Workshop on the Transport of Cod Larvae (WKTCL)

The aims of the workshop were to:

• examine the coupling of circulation models with early life history models to determine the physical and biological processes responsible for the transport or retention of cod larvae;
• develop, if possible, interannual transport indices based on physical variables that reflect the magnitude of the larvae drift or retention;
• attempt to incorporate these indices into the cod assessment process; and
• collate and synthesize existing direct and indirect observational information about egg and larval transport for all stocks and years. [Direct information is egg and larvae surveys while indirect information includes unusual distribution and migration in later life, elemental analysis of otoliths, genetic identification, and meristic characters.]
• evaluate the effects of variations in transport during early life on subsequent recruitment.