Capelin

Our lab has begun to conduct research on capelin populations in Newfoundland. This research is primarily focused on improving understanding about capelin population dynamics. To do this, we are examining novel methods for estimating capelin's population size from predator diet data, examining how capelin's spatiotemporal distribution has changed over time, and developing more advanced stock assessment models to estimate how fishing affects capelin populations. We have also identified that changes in capelin population size seem to coincide with changes in Atlantic cod body condition, indicating that when there are few capelin, cod are at greater risk of starvation mortality.