Changing ocean water temperatures and circulation patterns
have profoundly affected key Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf zooplankton
species in recent decades, and may be influencing the recovery of Atlantic cod
and other fish stocks in the region.
NOAA researcher Kevin Friedland and colleagues looked at the
distribution and abundance of important zooplankton species, sea surface water
temperatures, and cod abundance. They found that zooplankton species critical
for the survival of Atlantic cod larvae have declined in abundance in the same
areas where Atlantic cod stocks have struggled to rebuild after an extended
period of overfishing.