Identity of Larval Redfish Populations in the North Atlantic

Abstract

THE large redfish or ocean perch was of little importance to commercial fishing fleets in the North Atlantic until 1930, the total landings from all areas being below 20,000 metric tons per annum. Since then, however, American and Canadian fishermen have directed more attention to redfish, and after 1945 German, Icelandic and Russian fishing fleets deployed a large effort. The annual catch increased to 385,000 metric tons by 1955, since when it has been maintained at about this level. Redfish are caught off the coasts of North America between Cape Cod and Labrador, off Greenland and Iceland, and from areas in the north Norwegian and Barents Seas. There is a serious lack of information about the identity of the populations, the fecundity, and the growth-rate, all of which are essential for a proper understanding of the biology of the species.