Modelling advection of cod eggs and larvae on the Newfoundland Shelf

We investigate interannual variations in dispersion for the drift and retention of cod eggs and larvae on the Newfoundland Shelf using a two‐dimensional Lagrangian tracking model. The velocity field for the drift model is obtained from a diagnostic calculation of objectively analysed density data. Time‐dependent currents are generated using an inertial‐current slab model driven by observed winds. Eggs and larvae are treated as passive drifters seeded in a dispersion model of the Newfoundland Shelf region. We identify favourable and unfavourable zones of retention on the Newfoundland Shelf. We show that northerly, shelf‐break spawning locations are more favourable than southerly shelf‐break spawning locations for northern cod, (Gudus morhua, in NAFO divisions 2J3KL).