Juvenile Pacific cod are eating more in warmer oceans, a joint study with the Sitka Sound Science Center and NOAA finds. We are wrapping up this study on the impact of temperature and food quality on the growth of juvenile Pacific cod, but this work is part of a larger project aimed at understanding how marine heatwaves are affecting commercial fish populations in the Gulf of Alaska. This multi-year project was funded by the North Pacific Research Board and received funding to continue the project in 2020.

Preliminary Findings:

Data indicates that juvenile fish compensate for lower quality of food by increasing the amount they eat. In warm conditions this may expose cod to more predators because warm water increases their need to forage and reduces the quality of prey available to them.

Project Contact: Ron Heintz