Fecundity and recruitment variability of Northeast Arctic Greenland halibut during 1980-1998, with emphasis on 1996-1998

Because of indications of recruitment failures and a historic low spawning stook, the Northeast Arctic Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides Walbaum) stock has been strongly regulated in the 1990s. Fecundity is a li nk between the spawning stock and the following recruitment. This paper des cribes relationships between fecundity and total length for Northeast Arcti c Greenland halibut for 1997 and 1998, based on samples taken in autumn on the continental slope west of the Barents Sea. A previous study describes a similar relationship for 1996. Individual fecundity is raised to a populat ion level using stock data from XSA, and sex composition data, maturity oog ives, and mean length at age from surveys covering the area of distribution . Total egg production (TEP) varied slightly around 1.0 x 10(11), during 19 96-1998, with the highest TEP in 1998. A back-calculating exercise estimate d annual TEP during 1980-1998 in the range 0.9-3.4 x 10(11), and revealed t hat age groups 9-12 were the main contributors to TEP. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sc ience B.V. All rights reserved.