Old and Older Perceptions of the Migrations and Distribution of Haddock,Melanogrammus aeglefinus, in Northwest Atlantic Waters from Tagging Conducted in the Bay of Fundy, Georges Bank, Scotian Shelf, and the Southern Gulf of St Lawrence.

Abstract

An overview of tagging studies on haddock conducted since the 1920s demonstrates an erosion of population components, partially mirrored by progressive changes in perceived commercial fishery stock structure through time. In Canadian waters our fisheries likely started with five or more discrete populations, of which only two populations remain clearly discernible. The two survivors are highly migratory populations that spend the winter offshore, only coming inshore in warmer months. It is indeterminate if any non-migratory inshore haddock populations still exist.