Fecundity of cod (Gadus morhua callarias L.) in the Southern Baltic in the late 1990s

Abstract

The fecundity of cod from the southern Baltic Sea in the late 1990s was estimated from 461 pairs of ovaries at the maturity stage IV (according to Maier′s scale). Number of eggs per female was estimated for different length, weight, and age classes of fish obtained from the ICES subdivisions: 25 (Bornholm Deep) and 26 (Gdańsk Deep). Absolute fecundity in relation to body length and age, as well as relative fecundity, showed no differences between the two subdivisions, whereas absolute fecundity in relation to body weight was slightly higher in females from the Gdańsk Deep. Absolute fecundity in relation to age showed a high variability, particularly among age classes 5 and older. Absolute fecundity of cod in the southern Baltic has increased slightly over the past four decades. Length at first maturity, i.e. length at which 50 % of females are mature, was estimated to be 40.2 cm for females from the Gdańsk Deep.