Date of Award
2009
Publication Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
M.Sc.
Department
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research
Keywords
Biological sciences
Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Inaccessibility and harsh conditions of the Arctic frequently limit research on local fish and ecosystems. Cumberland Sound on southern Baffin Island houses a remote, winter fishery for Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) and presented a unique site for evaluating Arctic fish stock trends and feeding behavior from limited data. Relative abundance through time, 1987-2003, of the Greenland halibut stock was modeled hierarchically from catch per unit effort (CPUE) data with multiple fixed effects and location and fisherman as random effects. Month and the North Atlantic Oscillation were important predictors of CPUE. Additionally, fisherman behavior influenced CPUE, breaking the assumption that CPUE is proportionate to fish abundance. A second study using stable isotopes found pelagic feeding of the Greenland halibut and a dietary preference for capelin, consistent with studies in other systems. The combination of these studies is the first incorporation of fishery and ecological information to assess Cumberland Sound Greenland halibut.
Recommended Citation
Dennard, Susan T., "The Greenland halibut of Cumberland Sound: Trends in catch rates and preferences in diet" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 8191.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/8191