Fecundity of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides W.) in the waters of Iceland

Abstract

It is now considered important to monitor the fecundity of fish stocks as this provides an indi- cation of the Stock Reproductive Potential (SRP). There is currently very little data on the fecun- dity of the West-Nordic stock of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), which includes Greenland halibut in Icelandic waters. In order to achieve a reference point of fecundity for fish in Icelandic waters, the fecundity was estimated for 48 fish caught in October 1998. Potential fecundity showed a high variation between individuals and was in the range of 8–152 thousand oocytes for fish of 57–99 cm total length. The fecundity – length relationship was Fecundity = 1.942×10-3 Length3.93 . The fecundity was compared to previous fecundity estimations for Greenland halibut in other areas. There were significant differences between the estimates for the different areas, however, due to the fecundity being from only a single year, no conclusions on long term differences in fecundity could be drawn.