An assessment of juvenile Atlantic cod Gadus morhua distribution and growth using diver operated stereo-video surveys

While the relatively infamous Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) fisheries have recovered in some areas, the cod fishery in the Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland remains depleted. The role of juvenile fish survival in determining the future cohort sizes is important, yet the key habitats for juvenile marine fishes in the U.K. have received little attention. Many juvenile fish inhabit shallow coastal areas, where the monitoring of fish is not possible using fisheries dependent methods. Here, we conducted 31 stereo-video scuba transects during daylight hours from June to September 2013 within a proposed marine protected area (MPA) in the Firth of Clyde. More juvenile Atlantic cod Gadus mo…