(Mallotus villosus) in the Northwest Atlantic: Overview and Results

The Northwest Atlantic has been undergoing extensive ecosystem shifts involving oceano-graphic change and over-fishing. Capelin (Mallotus villosus), the focal forage fish species in this sys-tem, is a primary prey for most large predators, including cod, seals, whales and seabirds. Recently, the biology and behaviour of capelin has changed dramatically, although the basis for these changes is not well understood. Through a collaborative, multi-disciplinary research program among univer-sity, government and commercial fishers, we investigated mechanisms underlying these changes. In this manuscript we present an integrated overview of this initiative and synthesize key results from research carried out within the program. Our meso-scale study area encompassed the Funk Island Seabird Ecological Reserve, situated 60 km northeast of the Newfoundland coast. We identi-fied 11 off-beach demersal spawning sites of capelin, which were primarily associated with small gravel in bathymetric depressions where temperatures were>2°C. Through comparisons of beach and demersal spawning, we described two distinct developmental strategies of eggs: high mortal-ity and rapid development for beach sites versus low mortality and slow development for demersal sites. Emergence strategies of larvae at demersal sites also differed from beach sites elsewhere i