IMR/PINRO J O S I 3 E N I T 2009 R E R E S P O R T Joint Norwegian-Russian environmental status 2008 Report on the Barents Sea Ecosystem Part II - Complete report This report should be cited as: Stiansen, J.E., Korneev, O., Titov, O., Arneberg, P. (Eds.), Filin, A., Hansen, J.R., Høines, Å., Marasaev, S. (Co-eds.) 2009. Joint Norwegian-Russian environmental status 2008. Report on the Barents Sea Ecosystem. Part II – Complete report. IMR/PINRO Joint Report Series, 2009(3), 375 pp. ISSN 1502-8828. Electronical version on internet portal Our report is also published on internet using the URL http://www.barentsportal.com. The web publication is identical to the printed report, but you will in addition find ads that supplements and broadens some aspects in the contents. Furthermore, you will find a Web Map Service which gives you the opportunity to have a more geographic focus on some of the thematic presentation of environmental issues, and e.g. add other maps on top for comparison. An interesting feature is the possibility to give your comments on all text and figures. Hopefully, these comments will stimulate to debates on environmental issues, condition and future development in the Barents Sea – or bring up questions on topics that are difficult to conceive or should be broaden more. If prosperous, the web publication will be the main form for updating and developing of the Joint Norwegian-Russian environmental status reports on the Barents Sea Ecosystem. The report may alternatively be downloaded at http://www.imr.no/ - (publications -> IMR-Pinro reports). Joint Norwegian-Russian environmental status 2008 Report on the Barents Sea Ecosystem Part II – Complete report Editors: J. E. Stiansen1, O. Korneev2, O. Titov3, P. Arneberg4 Co-editors: A. Filin3, J.R. Hansen4, Å. Høines1, S. Marasaev2 Illustration of the rich marine life and interactions in the Barents Sea Authors (in alphabetical order): S. Aanes1, G. Alekseev6, N. Anisimova3, P. Arneberg4, B. Baik16, A. Bambulyak22, S. Belikov11, B. Berenboim3, I. Berchenko7, I. Berthinussen19, O.K. Bjerkemo20, B. Bogstad1, S. Boitsov1, Y. Borsheim1, I. Byrkjedal28, S. Cochrane10, P. Dalpadado1, N. Denisenko27, S. Denisenko27, A. Dolgov3, K. Drevetnyak3, K. Drinkwater1, S.F. Eggereide16, K. Enberg28, S. Falk-Petersen4, P. Fauchald12, A. Filin3, B. Frantzen21, K.L. Gabrielsen9, M. Gavrilo6, H. Gjøsæter1, J. Gjøsæter1, H. Goodwin4, K. Handeland14, T. Haug1, D. Howell1, C. Hvingel1, Å. Høines1, G. Ilyin7, R. Ingvaldsen1, A. Jelmert1, E. Johannesen1, T. Johnsen8, C. Jørgensen28, L. L. Jørgensen1, N.M. Jørgensen10, J.A. Kalas15, R. Kallenborn25, A. Karasev3, A. Karsakov3, R. Kluge19, T. Knutsen1, J.H. Koefoed26, O. Korneev2, K.M. Kovacs4, Y. Kovalev3, Y.V. Krasnov7, V. Kuklin7, C. Kvamme1, V. Larionov7, L.H. Larsen10, V. Lien1, P. Lyubin3, O. Lyubina7, N.N. Lukin3, S. Lunde20, P.R. Makarevich7, I. Manushyn3, S. Marasaev2, S. Mehl1, D. Moiseev7, A. Nalbandyan23, L.J. Naustvoll1, K. Nedreaas1, V. Nesterova3, T. E. Nordeng5, M. Novikov3, E. Olsen1, C.D. Olseng19, E. Orlova3, V.K. Ozhigin3, A. Pavlenko3, V. Pavlov3, G. Pedersen10, M. Pinchukov3, N.F. Plotitsyna3, I. Procopchuk3, D. Prozorkevich3, M. Reigstad9, P. Renaud10, G.B. Rudneva3, A. Rybalko3, I. Røttingen1, R. Sabirov29, I. Salvesen15, E. Shamray4, A. Shavykin7, M.S. Shevelev3, M. Shkatov2, N. Shtikova2, M. Skogen1, O. Smirnov3, K. Sokolov3, M. Skern-Mauritzen1, J.E. Stiansen1, R. Storebø18, A.B. Storeng17, H. Strøm4, J. Sundet1, O. Svetocheva7, V.N. Svetochev7, G.H. Systad12, E.E. Syvertsen19, A.L. Sørensen17, T. Sørgård19, O. Titov3, S. Tjelmeland1, A. Trofimov3, M. Tryland13, M. Tsiganova11, H. Wolkers4, G. Van der Meeren1, B. Vanstein24, R. Vogsholm20, D. Vongraven4, V. Zabavnikov3, A. Yurko3, O. Yurko3, A. Zhilin3, S. Ziryanov3, P. Zolotariov3 1 Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Norway 16Directorate of Fisheries (FDir), Norway 17 2 Sevmorgeo (SMG), Russia 17Directorate for Nature Management (DN), 3 Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries Norway and Oceanography (PINRO), Russia 18Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (OD/NPD), 4 Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), Norway Norway 5 Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MI), Norway 19Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT), 6 Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), Russia Norway 7Murmansk Marine Institute of Biology (MMBI), Russia 20 Norwegian Coastal Administration (KV), Norway 8Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), 21Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Norway Environmental Research (Bioforsk), Norway 9 University of Tromsø (UiT), Norway 22 Akvaplan-niva-Barents, Russia 10Akvaplan-niva, Norway 23Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority 11All-Russia Institute for Nature Protection (SSV/NRPA), Norway (VNIIPriroda), Russia 24Shirshov Institute of Oceanology 12Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), (VNIIOceanology), Russia Norway 25Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), 13Norwegian School of Veterinary Sciences (NVH), Norway Norway 26 Norwegian Maritime Directorate (NMD), Norway 14 National Veterinary Institute (VI), Norway 27 Zoological Institute (ZIN), Russia 15 Norwegian Biodiversity Information Center (ADB), 28 University of Bergen (UiB), Norway Norway 29 Kazan State University (KSU), Russia Table of content 1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 9 2 General background description of the ecosystem ............................... 12 2.1 Overview of the ecosystem .............................................................. 12 2.2 Geographical description ................................................................. 18 2.3 Abiotic components ......................................................................... 19 2.3.1 Meteorological conditions .................................................... 19 2.3.2 Oceanographic conditions ..................................................... 21 2.4 Biotic components ........................................................................... 30 2.4.1. Bacteria and viruses .............................................................. 30 2.4.2 Phytoplankton ....................................................................... 33 2.4.3 Zooplankton .......................................................................... 39 2.4.4 Benthos ................................................................................. 43 2.4.5 Shellfish ................................................................................ 47 2.4.6 Fish .................................................................................... 50 2.4.7 Marine mammals .................................................................. 62 2.4.8 Seabirds ................................................................................. 67 2.4.9 Infectious organisms ............................................................. 73 2.4.10 Rare and threatened species ................................................. 79 2.4.11 Introduced species ............................................................... 84 2.5 Human activities .............................................................................. 86 2.5.1 Fisheries and other harvesting .............................................. 86 2.5.2 Pollution ................................................................................ 96 2.5.3 Oil and gas activities ........................................................... 101 2.5.4 Maritime transport .............................................................. 107 2.5.5 Other human activities ........................................................ 110 2.6 Ecosystem interactions .................................................................. 113 2.6.1 Abiotic impact ..................................................................... 114 2.6.2 Biotic interactions ............................................................... 118 2.6.3 Human impact ..................................................................... 129 2.6.4 Overall picture .................................................................... 139 3 Monitoring of the ecosystem ................................................................ 143 3.1 Introduction.................................................................................... 143 3.2 Monitoring platforms ..................................................................... 145 3.2.1 Standard sections and fixed stations ................................... 145 3.2.2 Surveys ................................................................................ 147 3.2.3 Hydrodynamical numerical models .................................... 150 3.2.4 Other information sources .................................................. 151 3.2.5 Databases ............................................................................ 151 3.3 Monitoring divided by ecosystem components ............................. 151 3.3.1 Climate monitoring ............................................................. 151 3.3.2 Phytoplankton monitoring .................................................. 152 3.3.3. Zooplankton monitoring ..................................................... 152 3.3.4 Benthos monitoring ............................................................. 153 3.3.5 Fish monitoring ................................................................... 154 3.3.6 Mammal monitoring ........................................................... 155 3.3.7 Seabird monitoring ............................................................