Can you boys help !!!!!!

[Blackvelvet]

o.k. can anyone tell me how long of a period does it take cod to produce the roe before going off to spawn ????

 

It's just that hubbies cod he caught last night was in the early stages...Is it not a bit early for the cod, seeing as they usually don't move off to spawn unitl about Feb. here in the north est.

 

:confused: blackvelvet

[Blackvelvet]

so nobody can tell me then sad, shall try somewhere else .

Heather?

[thurso angler]

In the north of scotalnd the first roe appears around jan, the main month is feb but it lasts until april but the roes are mostly spent by then.

[Guest jay_con]

Hi black velvet, nice to here from you after so long. Where have you been?

 

Strange you should mention about the cod roe, I caught 1 last night and it had roe in it. What is even more worrying is the fact the fish only weighed about 3 pound. I thought they werent meant to spawn untill they were about 6 - 7 pound.

 

Perhaps someone could tell us if what weve seen is unusual?

[thurso angler]

When the faroese fisheries scientist visited the uk to study haddock stocks a few years ago, one of the points he raised was that our haddock was smaller as there was a large year class of them (very good breeding year) and they were maturing earlier and smaller due to large numbers of them and lack of food for them, possibly an explanation??

[Diabolos]

My experience of the Thurso area is that codling can begin to display roe from around September, peaking in the properly mature fish during January and February. Despite popular belief, young codling can show immature roes, however that is not to say that the roe is developed, or will develop to maturity. It’s bit like us being born with the relevant reproductive bits but being thereafter reliant on the human body clock to fire them up for use.

[Guest jay_con]

I have actually noticed over the past 2 -3 years that smaller codling seem to be spawning, Ive seen 2 and a half pounders with roe, Im not sure if this is a normal thing?

I was wondering if the cod were doing whatever is necassery to survive as a species, like somehow they worked out all th big fish have gone so are evolving to survive.

[A Norfolk Boy]

This is happening as the fish somehow know their numbers are under pressure and they have been evolving to compensate, they reach sexual maturity earlier. This also means that they will be smaller overall as their energy is used to breed, not grow. This is one of the signs of the species reaching a point of collapse. Happy days.

[Blackvelvet]

well I'm pleased about that, I had visions of our cod nicking off early to spawn, so it will still be around Febuary then..cheers lads, big relief.

Heather