IMR/PINRO J O 2 S I E N I T 2012 R E R E S P O R T Survey Report from the Joint Norwegian/Russian Ecosystem Survey in the Barents Sea, August – October 2012 Institute of Marine Research - IMR Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography - PINRO This report should be cited as: Eriksen, E. (Ed.). 2012. Survey report from the joint Norwegian/Russian ecosystem survey in the Barents Sea August-October 2012. IMR/PINRO Joint Report Series, No. 2/2012. ISSN 1502-8828, 139 pp. The chapters of this report should be cited as: Author’s names. 2012. Chapter’s name. In: Eriksen, E. (Ed.) Survey report from the joint Norwegian/Russian ecosystem survey in the Barents Sea August-October 2012. IMR/PINRO Joint Report Series, No. 2/2012. ISSN 1502-8828, pages Ecosystem Survey of the Barents Sea, autumn 2012 Survey report from the joint Norwegian/Russian ecosystem Survey in the Barents Sea, August – October 2012 Editor Elena Eriksen Institute of Marine Research Authors in alphabetical order: Bogstad, B., Boitsov, S., Dalpadado, P., Dolgov, A., Eriksen, E., Gjøsæter, H., Grøsvik, B.E., Heldal, H.E., Ingvaldsen, R., Johansen, T., Jørgensen, L.L., Klepikosky, R., Klungsøyr, J., Krivoshey, P., Lubin, P., Macaulay, G.J., Murashko, P., Orlova, E., Pimchukov, M., Prokhorova, T., Prokopchuk, I., Prozorkevic, D., Rey, A., Rosen, S., Skern-Mauritzen M., Sunde, J., Thangstad, T.H., Trofimov, A., Zabavnikon, V. Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), the largest of the falcon species. This specimen was observed resting on the deck on the Russian research vessel "Vilnus" during the ecosystem survey 2012. Photo: R. Klepikovsky. Bergen, December 2012 Content 1 Background… ...................................................................................................................................7 2 Data monitoring ................................................................................................................................9 2.1 Data use .................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Databases ................................................................................................................................. 9 3 Monitoring the marine enviroment .................................................................................................10 3.1 Hydrography .................................................................................................................... …..10 3.1.1 Oceanographic sections ..............................................................................................10 3.1.2 Spatial variation .........................................................................................................13 3.2 Pollution ................................................................................................................................. 19 3.2.1 Chemical pollution .....................................................................................................19 3.2.2 Antropogenic matter...................................................................................................19 4 Monitoring the plankton community ..............................................................................................21 4.1 Nutrients and chlorophyll a .................................................................................................... 21 4.2 Phytoplankton ........................................................................................................................ 21 4.3 Zooplankton ........................................................................................................................... 21 4.3.1 Calanus composition at the Fugløya-Bear Island (FB) transect .................................21 4.3.2 Spatial distribution and biomasses .............................................................................22 4.3.3 Biomass indices of krill and jellyfish- non target ......................................................23 Distribution and amount of jellyfish, mostly Cyanea capillata .................................................25 5 Monitoring the pelagic fish community .........................................................................................27 5.1 Fish recruitment: fish distribution and abundance/biomass indices ...................................... 27 5.1.1 Capelin (Mallotus villosus) ........................................................................................32 5.1.2 Cod (Gadus morhua)..................................................................................................33 5.1.3 Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) .....................................................................34 5.1.4 Herring (Clupea harengus) ........................................................................................35 5.1.5 Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) ....................................................................................36 5.1.6 Saithe (Pollachius virens) ..........................................................................................37 5.1.7 Redfish (Sebastes mentella) .......................................................................................38 5.1.8 Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) ....................................................39 5.1.9 Long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) .......................................................40 5.1.10 Wolffishes (Anarhichas sp.) .......................................................................................41 5.1.11 Sandeel (Ammodytes marinus) ...................................................................................42 5.2 Pelagic fish abundance and distribution ................................................................................. 43 5.2.1 Capelin (Mallotus villosus) ........................................................................................43 5.3.3 Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) ....................................................................................50 5.3.4 Herring (Clupea harengus) ........................................................................................56 5.3.5 Blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) ..................................................................60 6 Monitoring the demersal community ..............................................................................................63 6.1 Fish community ..................................................................................................................... 63 6.1.1 Cod (Gadus morhua) .................................................................................................63 6.1.2 Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) .....................................................................64 6.1.3 Saithe (Pollachius virens) ..........................................................................................65 6.1.4 Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) ....................................................66 6.1.5 Golden redfish (Sebastes marinus) ............................................................................67 6.1.6 Deep-water redfish (Sebastes mentella) .....................................................................68 Ecosystem Survey of the Barents Sea, autumn 2012 6.1.7 Norway redfish (Sebastes viviparus) .........................................................................69 6.1.8 Long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) .......................................................70 6.1.9 Wolffishes (Anarhichas sp.) .......................................................................................71 6.1.10 Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) ...................................................................................74 6.1.11 Norway pout (Trisopterus esmarkii) ..........................................................................75 6.1.12 Preliminary abundance and biomass estimates of demersal fish ...............................76 6.2 Benthos community ............................................................................................................... 77 6.2.1 Monitoring the Northern shrimp ................................................................................77 6.2.2 Distribution of Red King crab ....................................................................................78 6.2.3 Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) ...............................................................................78 6.2.4 Distribution and amount of Gonatus fabricii .............................................................80 7 Monitoring of interactions by diet study ........................................................................................81 7.1 Trophic studies of capelin and polar cod ............................................................................... 81 8 Monitoring of biodiversity ..............................................................................................................85 8.1 Invertebrate biodiversity ........................................................................................................ 85 8.1.1 Plankton community ..................................................................................................85 8.1.2 Benthos community ...................................................................................................85 8.2 Fish biodiversity....................................................................................................................