Atlantic Cod: A Bio–Ecology

Not only is the cod one of the most valuable marine food fish it is also important as a predator in ocean ecosystems and is the subject of a great deal of research into its biology and exploitation. In recent years world stocks of commercially fished cod have collapsed, most famously the Northern cod stocks of the North East Coast of Canada. Now, massively falling catches in the North Sea have led to the recent heavy cuts in catch quotas. This important book will be a comprehensive handbook, covering all major aspects of the cod including biology, ecology, life histories, behaviour, commercial exploitation and conservation. Written by world experts on the species, this book is an essential purchase for all fisheries scientists, managers and fish biologists.

Summary of chapters. Chapter 1: Exploitation of cod through history– an overview. Chapter 2: The cod – nomenclature, taxonomy, phylogeny and morphology. Before they were finished. Chapter 3: Pre–recruitment processes of larval cod –from egg to seabed. Chapter 4: Growth, age and death– from seabed to adult life to the end. What the cod did next– Adult Life. Chapter 5: Migrations, movements and stock identity. Chapter 6: Reproduction. Chapter 7: Ecophysiology and the environment. Chapter 8: Feeding behaviour. Exploitation. Chapter 9: Commercial fisheries in NW Atlantic. Chapter 10: Commercial fisheries in NE Atlantic. Chapter 11: Who eats cod, how, when and where?. Chapter 12: Cod: the futureReferences

David Righton, CEFAS, UK Julian Metcalf, CEFAS, UK George Rose, Canada