Observation of Long Rough Dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) Eggs in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard

Abstract

The long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) is one of the most common bottom dwelling fish species in the Barents Sea with a limited commercial value, even though it is regularly caught as bycatch. Adult H. platessoides can be found in large numbers along the west coast of Svalbard, but nothing is known about the spawning area of this species or the distribution of their eggs and larvae within Svalbard fjords. Recent findings of H. platessoides eggs in Kongsfjorden indicate that a spawning population exists either within the fjord or on the west Spitsbergen shelf.