Abstract
The Norwegian Sea harbours several large pelagic fish stocks, which use the area for feeding during the summer. The period 1995–2006 had some of the highest biomass of pelagic fish feeding in the Norwegian Sea on record. Here we address the horizontal distribution and overlap between herring, blue whiting and mackerel in this period during the summers using a combination of acoustic, trawl and LIDAR data. A newly developed temperature atlas for the Norwegian Sea is used to present the horizontal fish distributions in relation to temperature. The centre of gravity of the herring distribution changed markedly several times during the investigated period. Blue whiting feeding habitat expanded in a northwestern direction until 2003, corresponding with an increase in abundance. Strong year classes of mackerel in 2001 and 2002 and increasing temperatures throughout the period resulted in an increased amount of mackerel in the Norwegian Sea. Mackerel was generally found in waters warmer than 8°C, while herring and blue whiting were mainly found in water masses between 2 and 8°C. The horizontal overlap between herring and mackerel was low, while blue whiting had a large horizontal overlap with both herring and mackerel. The changes in horizontal distribution and overlap between the species are explained by increasing stock sizes, increasing water temperature and spatially changing zooplankton densities in the Norwegian Sea.
Highlights
1.1 The pelagic fish stocks in the Norwegian SeaThe Norwegian Sea harbours some of the largest fish stocks in the world, including two species sustaining among the highest yields globally, namely Norwegian spring spawning (NSS) herring (Clupea harengus) and blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou)
The objectives of this study are to describe the horizontal distribution in the Norwegian Sea for NSS herring, blue whiting and mackerel in relation to temperature in early and late summer http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mbr Editorial Office e-mail marinebiology@imr.no for the period 1995 – 2006
Herring shifted its centre of gravity in ES continuously during the period from 1995 to 2006
Summary
1.1 The pelagic fish stocks in the Norwegian Sea. The Norwegian Sea harbours some of the largest fish stocks in the world, including two species sustaining among the highest yields globally, namely Norwegian spring spawning (NSS) herring (Clupea harengus) and blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou). Fo (Scomber scombrus) spend the summer feeding in the Norwegian Sea (Fig. 1). These planktivorous stocks can have substantial spatial (Kaartvedt 2000) and diet By virtue of their high abundances, they can potentially have a strong ecological impact on the ecosystem and each other (Skjoldal et al 2004). The ee planktivorous stocks have varied strongly in biomass during the last decades.
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