Lane et al.: Ontogenetic and temporal variability in the fat content and fatty acid composition of Clupea harengus 
117 
Table 2 
Number of fish sampled (total fish) and size range of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) analyzed for differences in fatty acid 
signature by year, season, and age class. 
Year 
Total fish 
Size (cm) 
Summer 
Winter 
Age 1 
Age 2 
Age 3 
Age 4+ 
2005-2008 
551 
8.8-28.2 
480 
71 
70 
272 
131 
78 
2005 
56 
15.5-24.6 
56 
0 
0 
25 
29 
2 
2006 
260 
8.8-27.3 
225 
35 
52 
108 
60 
40 
2007 
140 
10.7-27.8 
104 
36 
15 
86 
20 
19 
2008 
95 
10.8-28.0 
95 
0 
3 
53 
23 
16 
global r =0.1 31 
P<0.01 
♦ Age 1 
Age 2 
A Age 3 
X Age 4+ 
B 
global r=0.253 
X P< 0.01 
>*< 
A 
♦ 
2005 
2006 
A 
2007 
X 
2008 
global r=0.254 
P<0.01 
A Summer 2006-07 
Winter 2006-07 
Figure 4 
Multidimensional scaling plot of the fatty acid signatures of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) by (A) fish age, < B ) 
sampling year, and (C) sampling season (2006-07 fish only). Symbols grouped together indicate similarity in fatty acid 
signatures between those symbols. Although all comparisons (age, year, and season) were significant, groupings were 
stronger by year (B) and season (C) than by age (A). Omega-3 and -6 and long chain monounsaturated fatty acids were 
important in distinguishing between the fatty acid signatures of fish ontogenetically, annually, and seasonally. 
was in entire fatty acid signatures, not in just one or 
two individual fatty acids. 
Significant differences were also found in the fatty 
acid signatures of fish by year (global r=0.253, P<0.01, 
Fig. 4B). Pairwise comparisons with ANOSIM indicated 
that fish from each year had significantly different fatty 
acid signatures (P<0.01), but the high r values for all 
pairwise tests that included fish from 2005 indicated 
that fish from 2005 were the most different in their 
fatty acid signatures (2005 vs. 2008: r=0.298; 2005 
vs. 2007: 0.491; 2005 vs. 2006: 0.410; 2006 vs. 2007: 
0.134; 2006 vs. 2008: 0.247; 2007 vs. 2008: 0.244). The 
separation of 2005 fish on the basis of fatty acid signa- 
tures was also evident from the results of the SIMPER 
analysis of fish by year. The average dissimilarities 
of comparisons including fish from 2005 were higher 
