Review of the research knowledge and gaps on fish populations, fisheries and linked ecosystems in the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO) Pauline Snoeijs-Leijonmalm (SU), Hauke Flores (AWI), Filip Volckaert (KU Leuven), Barbara Niehoff (AWI), Fokje L. Schaafsma (AWI), Joakim Hjelm (SLU), Jonas Hentati-Sundberg (SLU), Susa Niiranen (SU), Anne-Sophie Crépin (KVA), Henrik Österblom (SU) January – 2020 “The information and views set out in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of EASME or of the Commission. Neither EASME, nor the Commission can guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this study. Neither EASME, nor the Commission or any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.” EUROPEAN COMMISSION Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) Unit A3 - EMFF Contact: Rocio Suarez Jimenez E-mail: [email protected] European Commission B-1049 Brussels EUROPEAN COMMISSION Review of the research knowledge and gaps on fish populations, fisheries and linked ecosystems in the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO) Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) EASME/EMFF/2018/003: “Framework Contract for the Provision of Scientific Support to the High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO)” 2020 EA - 03 - 20 - 046 - EN - N Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you). 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Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2020 PDF ISBN 978-92-9202-810-7 doi:10.2826/387890 EA-03-20-046-EN-N © European Union, 2020 doi: 10.2826/387890 Review of the research knowledge and gaps on fish populations, fisheries and linked ecosystems in the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO) Snoeijs-Leijonmalm P1, Flores H2, Volckaert F3, Niehoff B2, Schaafsma FL4, Hjelm J5, Hentati-Sundberg J5, Niiranen S1, Crépin A-S7, Österblom H1 1 Stockholm University (SU), Sweden 2 Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI), Germany 3 Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium 4 Wageningen Marine Research (WMR), The Netherlands 5 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Sweden 6 Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA), Sweden Review of the research knowledge and gaps on fish populations, fisheries and linked ecosystems in the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO) Table of contents Executive summary ....................................................................................................................... 4 1. Current status, climate change and possible future fisheries (Snoeijs-Leijonmalm P, Flores H) 1.1. Chapter summary.................................................................................................................... 5 1.2. Background ............................................................................................................................ 5 1.3. The CAO ecosystem is changing extremely fast ........................................................................... 7 1.4. Fishable areas in the High Seas of the Arctic Ocean become accessible ........................................... 7 1.5. The fish stocks in the CAO are unknown ..................................................................................... 8 1.6. Possible future fisheries in the CAO............................................................................................ 11 1.7. Future management of the CAO ................................................................................................ 11 2. The CAO and adjacent large marine ecosystems (LMEs) (Snoeijs-Leijonmalm P) 2.1. Chapter summary .................................................................................................................... 12 2.2. Background ............................................................................................................................ 12 2.3. Summary of literature searches ................................................................................................. 16 2.4. Summary of knowledge ............................................................................................................ 16 2.5. Critical gap analysis ................................................................................................................. 19 3. Pelagic and benthic fish: species, population dynamics, distribution (Snoeijs-Leijonmalm P, Volckaert F) 3.1. Chapter summary ……………………................................................................................................. 20 3.2. Background ............................................................................................................................ 20 3.3. Summary of literature searches ................................................................................................. 21 3.4. Summary of knowledge ........................................................................................................... 22 3.5. Critical gap analysis ................................................................................................................ 24 4. Sympagic fish: species, population dynamics, distribution (Flores H, Volckaert F) 4.1. Chapter summary ................................................................................................................... 25 4.2. Background ............................................................................................................................ 25 4.3. Summary of literature searches ................................................................................................. 26 4.4. Summary of knowledge ............................................................................................................ 26 4.5. Critical gap analysis ................................................................................................................ 29 5. Food web and trophic interactions (Niehoff B, Flores H) 5.1. Chapter summary .................................................................................................................... 32 5.2. Background ............................................................................................................................ 32 5.3. Summary of literature searches ................................................................................................. 32 5.4. Summary of knowledge ............................................................................................................ 33 5.5. Critical gap analysis ................................................................................................................. 37 6. Fish species/populations and climate change impacts: northward migrations (Flores H, Schaafsma FL, Snoeijs-Leijonmalm P) 6.1. Chapter summary .................................................................................................................... 39 6.2. Background ............................................................................................................................ 39 6.3. Summary of literature searches ................................................................................................. 40 6.4. Summary of knowledge ............................................................................................................ 40 6.5. Critical gap analysis ................................................................................................................. 43 7. Data needs for potential fisheries assessment and fish stock modelling (Hjelm J, Hentati-Sundberg J) 7.1. Chapter summary .................................................................................................................... 45 7.2. Background ........................................................................................................................... 45 7.3. Summary of literature searches ................................................................................................. 45 7.4. Summary of knowledge ............................................................................................................ 46 7.5. Critical gap analysis ................................................................................................................. 48 8. Data needs for governance and socio-economic development of potential fisheries (Niiranen S, Crépin A- S, Österblom H) 8.1. Chapter summary ................................................................................................................... 49 8.2. Background ........................................................................................................................... 49 8.3. Summary of literature searches ................................................................................................. 50 8.4. Summary of knowledge ............................................................................................................ 50 8.5. Critical gap analysis ................................................................................................................