3.1.7 Alternative7: Inshore Juvenile Cod

Overview Based on the information presented on juvenile Atlantic cod and the inshore areas of the Gulf of Maine, coastal juvenile cod HAPC designation is recommended on the criteria of ecological function and sensitivity to induced environmental degradation. An HAPC designation for the nearshore Gulf of Maine could assist in the enhancement of Atlantic cod and other groundfish species. In 1999, the Council voted to approve this alternative and include it in the next appropriate fishery management plan vehicle.

Since that time, the Habitat Plan Development Team has advised the Habitat Committee, based on the supporting information, that the Alternative should be expanded to include two options for public comment:

Option A: 0-10 meters (MLLW) Option B: 0-20 meters (MLLW)

The most practical approach for delineating an HAPC for settled Age-0 cod is to circumscribe the reported center of distribution for this life stage throughout the range of the stock. The information available suggests that the HAPC should be from the low tide line to a depth of 10 m (33') MLLW (Option A) or alternatively from the low tide line to a depth of 20 m (33') MLLW (Option B) from eastern Maine to the Rhode Island/Connecticut border. This narrow depth range describes critical habitat from settlement through the first autumn of life and overlaps seasonal habitat of Age-1 juvenile cod. It also bounds the critical nursery zone for early benthic stages of important juvenile habitat for some other groundfish.

3.1.7.1 Alternative 7A: Inshore Juvenile Cod (0-10m depth contour)

Recent Research

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During the late 1980's, Atlantic cod inhabiting the waters off southern Labrador and eastern Newfoundland (viz. northern cod stock) underwent a dramatic decline in biomass, with the result that the famous Grand Bank fishery collapsed in 1992. This led to a fishing moratorium as well as an economic and ecological disaster (Hutchings 1996; Myers, et al. 1996). It also triggered unprecedented research at federal fisheries laboratories and universities in eastern Canada under the auspices of the Government of Canada's Northern Cod Science Program and the government / industry-funded Ocean Production Enhancement Network program. In total, there were 58 study initiatives and projects covering a broad suite of research costing about $48 million from 1990-95 (Campbell 1997).

The following description of research results from Canada and other countries deals with life history and behavioral ecology of newly settled juvenile cod, particularly postsettlement events relating to habitat that may ultimately affect recruitment strength. Studies have focused on laboratory observation experiments as well as field capture efforts utilizing active sampling equipment, SCUBA and submersible ve