The Paris Conference of Parties ( COP 21) agreement renewed momentum for action against climate change, creating the space for solutions for conservation of the ocean addressing two of its largest threats: climate change and ocean acidification ( CCOA ). Recent arguments that ocean policies disregard a mature conservation research field and that protected areas cannot address climate change may be oversimplistic at this time w...

In this study, the topic of sexual growth dimorphism in whiting Merlangius merlangus is examined. To understand the magnitude and underlying mechanisms, North Sea International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS) data and two additional datasets from the third quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2012 were analysed. Merlangius merlangus displays distinct differences in growth parameters between males and females, with females reach...

Existing biological data on whiting Merlangius merlangus , cod Gadus morhua and haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus from a long‐term international survey were analysed to address sexual size dimorphism ( SSD ) and its effect on their ecology and management. Results show that SSD , with larger females of the same age as males, is a result of higher growth rates in females. A direct consequence of SSD is the pronounced length‐depen...