The cod spawning is in full swing at the research station on Gotland and large numbers of larvae are hatching daily. This week it was finally time for the first release of the year! The cod larvae, which have hatched within the ReCod project, are 4-6 days old. They have not yet used up their yolk sac but have learnt to swim.
The releases take place during the summer and 150,000 – 200,000 larvae are released each time. The larvae are carefully transferred to the release unit, which is then lowered to a depth of about 25 metres. A weight is attached to the unit’s cable, which when released and reaches the unit, opens the hatch and releases all the cod larvae.
Sample fishing will also be carried out during the summer. The hope is to recapture cod larvae that have survived and managed to start eating on their own.
We wish the cod larvae good luck!
About ReCod
The project is carried out at the research station Ar on Gotland – in the middle of the Baltic Sea. The goal of ReCod is to conduct trials with releases of 4-6 day old cod larvae at a few locations along the east coast where we examine whether the larvae survive and manage to establish themselves. If the experiments are successful, there is the possibility of re-establishing cod in the Baltic Sea in more places, which increases the chances of preserving and protecting the unique eastern stock. ReCod is implemented and funded by BalticWaters and Uppsala University. In addition, a number of partners are contributing to the project in various ways: Ørsted, Leader Gute, Region Gotland, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Ulla and Curt Nicolin Foundation. In total, just over SEK 50 million is being invested in the project.
