Description: The influence of ambient temperature (2-7°C) and oxygen level (1.0-8.3 ml· l- 1) on the development of Baltic cod eggs was investigated in laboratory experiments. The incubation period, i.e. the time from fertilization to 50% hatching, decreased from 27.5 days at 2°C to 13.0 days at 7°C. Reduced oxygen levels did not significantly affect the time of hatching. Throughout the incubation period highest mortality rates were found during gastrulation and immediately prior to hatching at all tested oxygen levels. Egg survival decreased from around 30% at an oxygen level of 8 ml· 1- 1 to less than 10% at 2 ml· 1- 1 oxygen content. At oxygen concentrations below 2 ml 0 2 • l- 1 the development ceased at a very early stage. Field observations revealed that in the past years Baltic cod eggs were most abundant below the halocline, depth with unfavourable oxygen condition. Besides the effect on egg survival, low environmental oxygen may also affect the initial viability of larvae and consequently their ability to approach the feeding areas close to the sea surface. Thus, the effective reproduction volume of water for cod in the central Baltic may have been smaller than expected and it is suggested that oxygen depletion was the limiting factor determining the reproductive success of cod in this area during the last decade.

Description: Abstract The Boreoatlantic gonate squid Gonatus fabricii is the most abundant squid in the offshore arctic and subarctic waters of the northern Atlantic. Adults are common in midwater while juveniles occur in surface waters close to the continents. As part of a research project focussing on the interactions among fish stocks off West Greenland we examined squid collections sampled with small pelagic nets in summer 1989 and in summer and autumn 1990 off Southwest Greenland. G. fabricii was by far the most abundant cephalopod species caught. We recorded a total of 698 juvenile specimens. During the summer cruise in 1989 the mantle lengths varied from 6 to 35 mm (n = 84); in summer 1990 they ranged from 10 to 48 mm (n = 542) with significantly larger body sizes in the southern part of the region. In autumn 1990 the mantle lengths ranged from 19 to 64 mm (n = 72) with largest animals again at the southern sampling sites. The data suggest growth rates for juvenile G. fabricii off West Greenland of 4 to 5.5 mm per month between July and November 1990. Résumé L'encornet atlantoboréal (Gonatus fubricii) est l'encornet pélagique le plus abondant des eaux arctiques et subarctiques de l'Atlantique. Les adultes se trouvent habituellement dans les couches de profondeur moyenne, et les juvéniles se trouvent en surface et proche de zone littorale. Parallèlement à une étude des stocks de poissons à l'ouest du Groënland, nous avons étudié les encornets pris avec des petits filets pélagiques en été 1989 et en été et automne 1990. G. fabricii fût le céphalopode le plus abondant, avec 698 juvéniles échantillonnés. En été 1989, les longueurs du manteau étaient de 6 à 35 mm (n = 84); en été 1990, les longueurs étaient de 10 à 48 mm (n = 542), et la taille du corps était significativement plus importante au sud de la région échantillonnée. En automne 1990, les longueurs du manteau étaient de 19 à 64 mm (n = 72), et les animaux les plus grands se trouvaient encore dans le secteur sud. Les données suggèrent un taux de croissance d'entre 4 et 5,5 mm par mois pour les juvéniles de G. fabricii sur la côte sud-ouest de Groënland pour la période de juillet à novembre 1990.

Description: The Boreoatlantic gonate squid Gonatus fabricii is the most abundant squid in the offshore arctic and subarctic waters of the northern Atlantic. Adults are common in midwater while juveniles occur in surface waters close to the continents. As part of a research project focussing on the interactions among fish stocks off West Greenland we examined squid collections sampled with small pelagic nets in summer 1989 and in summer and autumn 1990 off Southwest Greenland. G. fabricii was by far the most abundant cephalopod species caught. We recorded a total of 698 juvenile specimens. During the summer cruise in 1989 the mantle lengths varied from 6 to 35 mm (n = 84); in summer 1990 they ranged from 10 to 48 mm (n = 542) with significantly larger body sizes in the southern part of the region. In autumn 1990 the mantle lengths ranged from 19 to 64 mm (n = 72) with largest animals again at the southern sampling sites. The data suggest growth rates for juvenile G. fabricii off West Greenland (Arctic Ocean) of 4 to 5.5 mm per month between July and November 1990.