Natural mortality rate, annual fecundity, and maturity at length for Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides)from the northeastern Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Mortality, fecundity, and size at maturity are important life history traits, and their interactions determine the evolution of life history strategies (Roff, 1992; Stearns, 1992; Charnov, 2002). These same traits are also important for population dynamics models (Hunter et al., 1992; Clark, 1999). It is increasingly important to accurately determine Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) life history traits and to correctly assess the status of its stocks because low recruitment or low biomass estimates have led to catch restrictions in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (Ianelli et al.1), the Northeastern Arctic (Adlandsvik et al., 2004), and the Northwest Atlantic (Bowering and Nedreaas, 2000).