A METHOD FOR ESTIMATING THE CONSUMPTION OF CAPELIN BY COD IN THE BARENTS SEA

A method for estimating how much capelin (Mallotus villosus Muller) is consumed by cod (Gadus morhua L.) during the winter capelin spawning migration has been developed. The method is based on an analysis of co d stomach content data and a model for stomach evacuation rate, and re sts on various assumptions about temperature, stock size, and age dist ribution of cod, an initial stock size estimate of maturing capelin, a nd overlap between cod and capelin in space and time. The method is no w in use by the ICES Atlanto-Scandian Herring and Capelin Working Grou p for stock assessment purposes. The maximum amount of Barents Sea cap elin consumed by north-east Arctic cod in winter of the years 1991-199 3 has been estimated in the range 500 000-800 000 tonnes. This is a su bstantial part of the total amount of capelin at the start of the spaw ning migration, which in these years ranged from 2.1 to 2.6 million to nnes.