Stock separation and growth of redfish (genus Sebastes) in the North Atlantic by means of shape and elemental analysis of otoliths [Elektronische Ressource] / vorgelegt von Christoph Stransky

Stock separation and growth of redfish (genus Sebastes) in the North Atlantic by means of shape and elemental analysis of otoliths Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades des Fachbereiches Biologie der Universität Hamburg vorgelegt von Christoph Stransky aus Hamburg Hamburg, 2004 Summary Within the species-rich genus Sebastes, four species are found in the North Atlantic, Acadian redfish (S. fascicatus), small redfish (or Norway haddock, S. viviparus), golden redfish (S. marinus) and deep-sea redfish (S. mentella). The latter two are of highest interest to commercial fisheries, especially the pelagic occurrences of S. mentella in the Irminger Sea that were explored in their full dimensions only recently. Despite the high fishing pressure on redfish resources, only patchy knowledge on their distribution, stock structure, reproductive cycles and growth exists, preventing optimum harvesting strategies. The vague nature of the scientific basis for redfish assessment, particularly the controversial concepts on the amount and delimitation of stocks in the Irminger Sea and adjacent waters, has motivated an EU-funded multidisciplinary research project on redfish. As part of this project, the work presented in this thesis was focusing on stock separation and growth of the two predominantly exploited species, S. marinus and S.