Large females connect Atlantic cod spawning sites

In this study, we used acoustic telemetry to monitor the movements of mature Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) during the winter spawining season. The fish were captured in traps with the help of a local fisher, and released near their point of capture after tagging and body size measurements. Fish detection data were downloaded from the moored receivers twice per year, before and after the spawning season. The acoustic receivers were distributed among several known inshore spawning grounds, and we used network analyses to quantify how individual cod moved at a finer and broader scale among these sites. Movement traits representing connectivity were used as response variables in the statistical analyses, while body size measurements, residency (time spent within the array), tagging location and year, were tried as predictors.Â