A synthesis of the early life history of the anglerfish, Lophius ...

A synthesis of the early life history of the anglerfish
85
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that the spawning grounds of the
L. piscatorius exploited in north British waters are in
relatively deep water (150–900 m), although well within
the reach of fishermen employing modern technology.
We have also shown that post-larval anglerfish may be
transported over considerable distances before settling
on the seabed. Intensive exploitation of mature females
in one area may therefore influence recruitment to areas
that may be hundreds of kilometres distant. The particle
tracking model has raised the possibility that Rockall
may supply some recruits to the west of Scotland
shelf, and that some North Sea fish could have
originated from spawning grounds west of Ireland.
Understanding the evidently complex relationships
between L. piscatorius in different parts of the Northeast
Atlantic is vital if the fishery is to be effectively managed
and studies of the genetics of anglerfish and the elemental
composition of their otoliths are being conducted to
this end.
Acknowledgements
We are greatly indebted to Dankert Skagen (Institute of
Marine Research, Bergen) for bringing the Norwegian
catches of juvenile Lophius to the attention of J.R.G.H.
and making his specimens available. Martin Bailey
(Marine Laboratory Aberdeen) supplied the larval specimens.
Tom Blasdale, Luke Bullough, Finlay Burns and
Kevin Peach (Marine Laboratory Aberdeen) provided
data from commercial fishing trips. The cooperation of
skipper Peter Lovie, MFV ‘‘Endeavour III’’ is gratefully
acknowledged. Drs Henk Heessen (Netherlands Institute
for Fishery Investigations, IJmuiden) and Siegfried
Ehrich (Institut für Seefischerei, Hamburg) provided
IBTS data. The work on anglerfishes was supported by
EU Study Contract 98/096. The HAMSOM hydrodynamic
model data were produced by D. Hainbucher,
University of Hamburg, with support from the
EU-MAST ICOS project (MAS2-CT94-0085), which
also supported the development of the particle tracking
model code. Hydrographic data from the northeast
Atlantic were collected during the EU-TASC project
(MAS3-CT95-0039).
2001 Crown copyright
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