Respiration of the Atlantic Cod

Abstract

Measurements of routine and standard rates of oxygen consumption of various sized cod at temperatures between 3 and 15 °C revealed a well-marked size effect; small cod consume oxygen at a greater rate per unit weight than do large ones. Increases in temperature raise oxygen consumption in starved and fed fish. The increase in rate of oxygen consumption of starved fish between 3 and 10° is proportionately greater than that between 10 and 15 °C. Feeding of cod which have previously been starved increases the rate of oxygen consumption by 40–90%. The rate subsides to the starvation level in 4–7 days depending on temperature and amount of food eaten. Handling cod causes them to increase their rate of oxygen consumption; rates return to normal levels in 3–5 hours. Crowding reduces the rate of oxygen consumption apparently by reducing the space for movement and thus restricting activity. Reducing the ambient oxygen from about 10 to 3 mg/l lowers the rate of oxygen consumption slightly, but the respiratory volume (volume of water pumped over the gills per unit time) is markedly increased. This suggests there is added stress because the increased metabolic cost of irrigating the gills is not met by increased rates of oxygen consumption.