Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.2005, Qupperneq 121

MERKINGARROYNDIR VIÐ FØROYSKUM TOSKI 1952-1965
119
Figure 15. Migration distance (log-
transformed) versus fish length (when
recaptured) for the following areas:
east of Nólsoy (ENO), off Koltur
(KO) and south of Vágoy (SVA).
Cod moving long distances
Three cod were reported to be recaptured
on Faroe Bank (south-west of Faroe Is-
lands) (Figures 8-10). We had no extra
information that could tell whether these
reports were correct or not. One of them
was, when tagged 21 November 1952
south of Vágoy (SVA), characterised as
“sand-eel preying cod that was caught off
bottom” (see discussion).
Two cod were reported to be recaptured
in Icelandic waters. One was caught 15 July
1966 south of Iceland (63°40’N 16°30’W)
by a Faroese vessel and is considered to
be reliable. It was tagged west of Suðuroy
16 June 1952 - 14 years earlier at 61°30’N
7°00’W (area VSU). The other was caught
east of Iceland by an English trawler and
we were not able to verify whether this
report was correct.
One cod was reported to be recaptured
27 September 1955 in the North Sea (ca.
53°30’N 2°30’E). This report is supposed
to be correct. The cod was also tagged
west of Suðuroy 16 June 1952 at 61°30’N
7l,00’W (area VSU - Figure 9).
Finally one cod was reported to be
caught 24 January 1966 north of Scot-
land (ca. 53°30’N 2°30’E). This report is
also supposed to be correct. The cod was
tagged 16 June 1965 at 62°12’N 7°35’W
(in area MYL - Figure 11).
Thus three fish were caught outside
Faroese waters: one at Iceland, one north
of Scotland and one in the North Sea, and
by coincidence all were tagged 16 June.
Discussion
Main results
Cod spawning on the northern spawning
area “Norðhavið” came from the entire
Faroe Plateau - especially frorn the ar-
eas north and east of Faroe Islands. Cod
spawning on the western spawning area
“Vágahavið” came from a more limited
area west and south of Faroe Islands.
Iinmature cod were fairly stationary and
tended to rnove to deeper waters (> 100