Maturity in adult female Greenland halibut Reinhardtius hippoglossoides was studied in three areas in west Greenland waters: the inshore area in Disko Bay and two offshore areas, Baffin Bay and Davis Strait. The aim was to monitor maturity changes in the inshore fjords of Disko Bay over an extended period from winter to autumn and compare these findings with specimens from Baffin Bay and the presumed spawning area in Davis Strait. A significant difference in maturity level was observed in and between the three areas. In Disko Bay maturity indices increased significantly in August and September both with respect to the gonado-somatic index (I G ) and the size in the leading oocyte cohort. In the period February to May no significant changes were observed. Mature ovaries were only observed among fish >80 cm total length and only among a fraction of these large fish. Offshore areas of Baffin Bay, even though poorly sampled, showed similar signs in the maturity indices as in Disko Bay. Relative to Disko Bay and Baffin Bay, female fish in Davis Strait had more progressed maturity indices. Furthermore, almost all fish in Davis Strait showed signs of progressed maturity contrary to Disko and Baffin Bay. A large proportion of the Greenland halibut in Disko and Baffin Bay apparently did not begin the maturation cycle until very late in their life history or were repeat spawners with a multi-year maturation cycle. These observations could thus support the hypothesis that Greenland halibut have a prolonged adolescent phase. Atresia was highest in the early phases of maturation in Greenland halibut but relatively high levels of atresia were also observed in fish in more advanced maturity phase. The first was ascribed to fecundity regulation while the latter could be linked to the fish's fitness condition but it was not possible to show this with the available condition index. # 2005 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles

No abstract

No abstract

Plankton samples and oceanographic data were obtained during transect studies across fishing banks over the West Greenland shelf areas in June 1999, May, and July 2000. The hypothesis that larval shrimp are linked to the behaviour of hydrographic fronts was tested by determining whether larval shrimp abundance was linked to plankton distributions, species composition and primary productivity. We found six pelagic developmental stages (ZI-ZVI) in two species of Pandalus larvae. P. borealis was the most abundant species in all stages from ZII to ZVI. The smaller P. montagui larvae were slightly more advanced in development than P. borealis, suggesting later hatching or longer development time for P. borealis larvae. In May, high concentrations of newly hatched ZI larvae were caught near the coast and at fjord stations. In June and July, larvae in development stage ZIV dominated the catches. The two species showed minor differences in larval distribution across banks and between transects, indicating a wide larval dispersal and a relatively short hatching period. We found no relationship between indices of larval shrimp abundance and the T-S characteristics of water masses, chlorophyll a concentrations or zooplankton abundance (species, groups or sizes classes). Data from two satellite tracked SVP buoys was used to calculate a net northward drift of about 3.1 km d -1 or 200-400 km during the pelagic life of a larval cohort. Difference in year-class strength was attributed to differences in the environmental conditions and the larval transport patterns. We suggest that coupled physical-biological models should be developed to investigate the climatic impact on distribution and recruitment variability of northern shrimp in West Greenland waters.