Do parasites and hypoxia prevent a recovery of Eastern Baltic cod? (111970)

The eastern Baltic cod stock is currently under severe threat due to overfishing combined with hypoxia, increasing temperatures, parasites and seal predation. Despite the cod fishery in the Baltic Sea being halted since 2019, cod in the southern Baltic Sea has not recovered, but is growing slowly and is small and lean. In the Åland Sea, where oxygen conditions are good, cod, on the other hand, has good growth and condition despite the presence of liver parasites and high densities of grey seals. In the project, we will investigate how hypoxia and liver parasites, individually and in combination, affect the growth and well-being of cod in the Baltic Sea through comparative field studies and experiments. The results from the studies will increase our understanding of the importance of anoxia and parasite load for cod growth, and can contribute to the development of management measures.

Funding:
The project is funded by BalticWaters.

Research area: Fish Biology
Research area: Population Genetics
Research area: Marine Populations and Ecosystem Dynamics