Assessing the intrinsic resilience of a particularly fast-growing teleost prey species (red cod, Pseudophycis bachus)

Abstract

Understanding the life-history parameters that influence productivity is important in assessing the intrinsic resilience of a species to exploitation. The life-history characteristics of red cod, Pseudophycis bachus, were investigated to assess the intrinsic resilience of this important prey species to increased predation pressure by a range of high trophic-level predators. Red cod has a particularly short longevity; in Australian shelf waters it is uncommon to encounter individuals older than 2+ years. There are few shelf-water species that exhibit the rapid rate of growth that was observed where females and males attained ∼300-mm total length in the first year. A particularly rapid growth ..