ASPECTS OF GROWTH IN ARCTIC COD, BOREOGADUS-SAIDA (LEPECHIN 1773)

In June 1986, 42 young Arctic cod were caught in ice-covered waters of the Barents sea with dip-nets by scuba divers. From August to June 1987 the fish were kept at - 1-degrees-C and fed on frozen shrimp (Pandalus borealis). Length and weight were measured monthly. A fast weight increment of about 0.7% per day was observed in thc autumn (Sept.-Nov.). In the winter (Jan.-Feb.), the growth rate declined to 0.05% per day. However, daily food intake only decreased by 50% during these winter months. Since the fish were exposed to constant illumination in the aquarium, this growth experiment indicates that something else than light has a significant influence on growth in Arctic cod.