IMR/PINRO J O 4 S I E N I T 2013 R E R E S P O R T Survey report from the joint Norwegian/Russian ecosystem Survey in the Barents Sea and adjacent waters, August – October 2013 Editor: Tatiana Prokhorova Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography Institute of Marine Research - IMR Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography - PINRO This report should be cited as: Prokhorova, T. (Ed.). 2013. Survey report from the joint Norwegian/Russian ecosystem survey in the Barents Sea and adjacent waters, August-October 2013. IMR/PINRO Joint Report Series, No. 4/2013. ISSN 1502-8828, 131 pp. The chapters of this report should be cited as: Author’s names. 2013. Chapter’s name. In: Prokhorova, T. (Ed.) Survey report from the joint Norwegian/Russian ecosystem survey in the Barents Sea and adjacent waters, August-October 2013. IMR/PINRO Joint Report Series, No.4/2013. ISSN 1502-8828, 131 pp. Survey report from the joint Norwegian/Russian ecosystem Survey in the Barents Sea and adjacent waters, August – October 2013 Editor: Tatiana Prokhorova Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography Authors in alphabetical order: Aasen, A., Alvarez, J., Dalpadado, P., Dolgov, A., Engås, A., Eriksen, E., Fosså, J.H., Gjøsæter, H., Ingvaldsen, R., Johannesen, E., Jørgensen, L.L., Klepikosky, R., Knutsen, T., Krivosheya, P., Lubin, P., Mashnin, A., Mauritzen, M., Nesterova, V., Orlova, E., Pavlenko, A., Prokhorova, T., Prokopchuk, I., Prozorkevich, D., Rønning, J., Trofimov, A., Wenneck, T., Øvredal, J.T. Mixed concentration of the Barents Sea capelin and polar cod (79°57'N 72°58'E, 23 October 2013). The World has changed… Murmansk, December 2013 Polar research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (PINRO) Content 1 Background.. .................................................................................................................................................... 6 2 Data monitoring ............................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Data use ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Databases ................................................................................................................................................... 8 3 Monitoring of marine enviroment ................................................................................................................... 9 3.1 Hydrography .............................................................................................................................................. 9 3.1.1 Oceanographic sections .................................................................................................................. 9 3.1.2 Spatial variation ............................................................................................................................ 12 3.2 Pollution ................................................................................................................................................... 14 3.2.1 Anthropogenic matter ................................................................................................................... 14 4 Monitoring the plankton community ............................................................................................................. 16 4.1 Zooplankton ............................................................................................................................................. 16 4.1.1 Calanus composition at the Fufløya-Bear Island (FB) transect .................................................... 16 4.1.2 Spatial distribution and biomasses ................................................................................................ 18 4.1.3 Biomass indices of macroplankton (krill and jellyfish) ................................................................ 19 5 Monitoring the pelagic fish community ......................................................................................................... 22 5.1 Fish recruitment: fish distribution and abundance/biomass indices ......................................................... 22 5.1.1 Capelin (Mallotus villosus) ........................................................................................................... 28 5.1.2 Cod (Gadus morhua) .................................................................................................................... 29 5.1.3 Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) ........................................................................................ 30 5.1.4 Herring (Clupea harengus) ........................................................................................................... 31 5.1.5 Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) ....................................................................................................... 32 5.1.6 Saithe (Pollachius virens) ............................................................................................................. 32 5.1.7 Redfish (mostly Sebastes mentella) .............................................................................................. 33 5.1.8 Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) ....................................................................... 34 5.1.9 Long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) .......................................................................... 35 5.1.10 Wolffishes (Anarhichas sp.) ......................................................................................................... 35 5.1.11 Sandeel (Ammodytes marinus) ..................................................................................................... 36 5.1.12 Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) ..................................................................................................... 37 5.1.13 Blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) .................................................................................... 38 5.2 Pelagic fish abundance and distribution ........................................................................................................ 38 5.2.1 Capelin (Mallotus villosus) ........................................................................................................... 38 5.2.2 Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) ....................................................................................................... 44 5.2.3 Herring (Clupea harengus) ........................................................................................................... 51 5.2.4 Blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou)..................................................................................... 54 6 Monitoring the demersal community ............................................................................................................. 56 6.1 Fish community ....................................................................................................................................... 56 6.1.1 Cod (Gadus morhua) .................................................................................................................... 56 6.1.2 Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) ........................................................................................ 58 6.1.3 Saithe (Pollachius virens) ............................................................................................................. 58 4 6.1.4 Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) ....................................................................... 60 6.1.5 Golden redfish (Sebastes marinus) ............................................................................................... 60 6.1.6 Deep-water redfish (Sebastes mentella) ........................................................................................ 61 6.1.7 Norway redfish (Sebastes viviparus) ............................................................................................ 61 6.1.8 Long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) .......................................................................... 61 6.1.9 Wolffishes (Anarhichas sp.) ......................................................................................................... 63 6.1.10 Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) ...................................................................................................... 65 6.1.11 Norway pout (Trisopterus esmarkii) ............................................................................................. 65 6.1.12 Abundance and biomass estimation of demersal fish ................................................................... 66 6.2 Benthos community ................................................................................................................................. 67 6.2.1 Monitoring the Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) .................................................................. 67 6.2.2 Distribution of the Red King crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) ................................................. 68 6.2.3 Distribution of the Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) .................................................................... 68 7 Monitoring of interactions by diet study ........................................................................................................ 70 7.1 Trophic studies of capelin and polar cod ................................................................................................