THE DYNAMICS OF A

M E TA P O P U L AT I O N :
CHANGES IN LIFE-
HISTORY TRAITS IN RESIDENT
H E R R I N G T H AT C O - O C C U R W I T H
OCEANIC HERRING DURING
SPAWNING

ARNE JOHANNESSEN1*, GEORG SKARET2, LISE

L A N G A ° R D 1 , 2 , A R I L S L OT T E 2 , A ° S E H U S E B Ø 2 ,
ANDERS FERNO¨ 1,2
1 D E PA RT M E N T O F B I O L O G Y, U N I V E R S I T Y O F
B E R G E N , B E R G E N , N O RWAY, 2 I N S T I T U T E O F M A R I N E
R E S E A R C H , B E R G E N , N O RWAY
INTRODUCTION

• Metapopulation - set of populations with

variable but moderate interbreeding
• Atlantic herring - several populations
characterized by different life-history
traits
 HERRING
POPULATIONS
• Norwegian spring spawning (NSS)
herring - geographically widespread,
migratory, oceanic
• Local populations – Lindaspollene herring
(LP)
– Highly dependent upon local processes,
but are also influenced by external
replenishment
– evolved different life-history traits
– slower growth, a shorter life span and
higher relative fecundity
https://www.barentsportal.com/barentsportal/images/stories/barentspo
rtal/general_description/biotic_factores/fish/f_figure_2418.jpg
• growth pattern and the vertebrae sum (VS)
– used to separate different populations of herring

• VS - primarily determined by environmental factors during

embryogenesis

• local populations have generally lower VS than NSS herring

OBJECTIVES

• Investigated the overlap in time and space between LP herring and

immigrants from the migratory NSS herring
• Studied possible changes in life history traits in LP herring
• Evaluated the potential for interbreeding
MATERIALS AND METHODS

• Lindaspollene
• Small (7 sq m) semi-enclosed
• SW Norway
• 60-90 m deep basins
• With main sill (7.5 m wide and 3.5 m deep) connecting to the outside
fjord
• low zooplankton biomass
• Due to poor oxygen conditions and limited inflow due to the shallow
sill
BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING

• Gillnet samples
• 1962-2011:
– 1962–1964 (P1) - period prior to the eventual collapse of the NSS
herring
– 1970–1982 (P2) – during collapse
– 2005–2011 (P3) – after recovery
• nets - set at the surface
– within 1000 m from the overwintering and spawning areas
– based on local knowledge of fish distribution and/or acoustic recordings
– Set in series of 3
– Set at 17:00-19:00 local time and hauled the next day (09:00-12:00)
– large catch - up to 200 subsamples
• Measured:
• TL
• BW
• Age – otolith
• maturity stage – gonads; 1–2, immature; 3–5 maturing or pre-spawning;
6, spawning/running; 7, spent; and 8, resting stage
• VS – inc. urostyle
DATA ANALYSES

• compared basic life history parameters between the three sampling

periods
• For normally distributed parameters:
– length, weight and condition factor
– ANOVA with a Tukey HSD post-hoc test

• Age:
– Kruskal-Wallis
RESULTS
YEAR CLASS STRENGTH AND
LONGEVITY
VARIATIONS IN LIFE
HISTORY TRAITS OVER TIME
Age at first maturity
Length at first maturity
Length-at-age as a proxy
for growth

Red – 1950s
Green – 2000s
Average length-at-age
VS OF YOUNG (2–5 YEARS OLD)
AND OLDER (6–11 YEARS OLD)
HERRING
Monthly mean values of
maturity stage, length and VS
of herring
DISCUSSION

• First documentation of a long-term dynamic relationship between

populations in a pelagic fish species during reproduction.
• A component of Atlantic herring inferred to belong to the resident LP
herring population co-occurred in its coastal fjord home range with a
herring component assumed to belong to the much larger population
of Norwegian spring spawning (NSS) herring.
• LP - slow growth and low VS in the 1960s and the 1970–1980s
• Oceanic NSS herring - rapid growth and high VS
– young fish with these characteristics in the 1960s (P1) and 2000s (P3)
were thus classified as belonging to the oceanic NSS population
• Not a straightforward process of classififcation
• 1970–1980s (P2) - rapid-growth component also had low VS
– population of NSS herring had by then nearly collapsed, and the
remaining NSS herring stayed close to the coast throughout the year
– Spawning occurred more inshore
– low VS suggests that NSS herring then utilised similar spawning areas as
the resident populations
– assume that this component is NSS herring of coastal origin
• 2000s - when the population of NSS herring had recovered,VS again
increased in rapidly growing young fish
– decrease and subsequent increase in VS in young fish are in synchrony
with the decline and rise of the oceanic NSS herring
• 1970s to 1990s YCs - greatest increase in length-at-age
– 2000s (P3) in LP were thus presumably are rapid-growing oceanic NSS
herring and resident herring
CHANGES IN LIFE-HISTORY
TRAITS IN LP HERRING
• demonstrated that several life-history traits in LP herring changed
over time,
• with the mean age and weight of this component rising by almost
100% from the 1960s (P1) to the 2000s (P3)
• no information available to suggest that changes have taken place in
relevant environmental conditions in LP
• marked changes in life-history traits could be a consequence of
phenotypic plasticity, genetic responses or a combination of the two
• Mcquinn argued that the population structure is behavioral rather
than genetic
– it is reasonable to assume that a change in feeding migration
patterns was involved in the increased growth of LP herring
– pre-spawning LP herring have aggregated in a particular area in
Lindaspollene for several decades
– NSS herring may have triggered a change in LP herring to migrating to
more productive outside waters, leading in time to increased growth
– interbreeding with migratory NSS herring may also have increased the
tendency of LP herring to migrate
CONCLUSIONS AND
PERSPECTIVES
• presented new evidence that Atlantic herring form a metapopulation
• for the first time have found evidence of strong temporal dynamics
between two herring populations
• Some questions remain to be answered:
• It is unclear whether most NSS herring initially enter Lindaspollene at
the larval stage or later, and there are few data on movements of LP
and NSS herring in and out of Lindaspollene.
• strong evidence that NSS herring leave Lindaspollene after a certain
age and size, but this was more difficult to study in the
• 2000s as LP and NSS herring were similar in size.
• Further studies of dynamic interchange between different populations
of marine species and the relative importance of genetic and cultural
factors behind the population structure are warranted, both from a
basic ecological and evolutionary perspective and as a basis for sound
management.