Effect of nursery ground variability on condition of age 0+ year Merluccius hubbsi.

This study examined the southern or Patagonian (41°-55° S) stock of Argentine hake Merluccius hubbsi, the more abundant of the two stocks on the Argentinean continental shelf. Pre-recruits (age 0+ year individuals) of this stock settle and grow in the San Jorge Gulf (45°-47° S, 65° 30' W), a complex habitat with large spatial variability in environmental features. Relative condition factor, hepatosomatic index, lipid content and fatty-acid composition of muscle and liver, and diet information were combined with physical and biological data to evaluate: how nutritional status of age 0+ year hake varies spatially within the nursery ground; whether changes in condition are related to environmental factors and feeding; whether the indices are interchangeable metrics of condition.