Abstract
Spawning of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) in the vicinity of the Svalbard archipelago has not been directly observed. From the distribution pattern of polar cod 0-group observed during annual monitoring of the Barents Sea, it has, however, been inferred that spawning occurs in Svalbard waters most years. We wanted to investigate the possibility of back-tracking the larvae from these observed distribution areas to the spawning areas from which they originated and applied a coupled ocean–sea ice and particle tracking model to simulate the drift of particles released at suggested spawning sites. The model was run for 1 year (December 2006–September 2007), and the results were compared to observations of polar cod larvae in the autumns of 2007 and 2004–2010. The particles released in the western fjords were mostly retained in the fjords. For the rest of the suggested spawning grounds, the released particles drifted mostly clockwise around the archipelago. Model runs mainly indicated a drift pattern with end points that qualitatively match the main features of the August–September distribution of the polar cod 0-group observed. We conclude that the suggested spawning sites on the southern, northern and eastern sides of Svalbard could have caused a distribution of 0-group polar cod similar to that observed during August–September 2007. From the environmental factors experienced during drift of eggs and larvae and assumptions about habitat suitability for survival and growth, we conclude that spawning in the Svalbard area probably occurs on the southern and eastern sides and later than the area in the southeastern Barents Sea.
Highlights
Sea ice in the Arctic is declining (Serreze et al 2007) and this has sparked interest in utilizing natural resources in the high north
One fish species playing a key role in Arctic marine ecosystems is the polar cod (Boreogadus saida), a small and relatively short-lived (5–7 years) circumpolar species that is widely distributed in cold waters
Polar cod is assumed to play a key role in the Arctic marine food web
Summary
Sea ice in the Arctic is declining (Serreze et al 2007) and this has sparked interest in utilizing natural resources in the high north. One fish species playing a key role in Arctic marine ecosystems is the polar cod (Boreogadus saida), a small and relatively short-lived (5–7 years) circumpolar species that is widely distributed in cold waters. Polar cod is assumed to play a key role in the Arctic marine food web Polar cod is sometimes found in very dense shoals (Melnikov and Chernova 2013) and may undertake extensive migrations (Ponomarenko 1968; Hop and Gjøsæter 2013). Polar cod spawn from 9000 to 21,000 eggs (Gjøsæter 2009). The eggs of polar cod are buoyant (Graham and Hop 1995; Ponomarenko 2000) and are 1.6–1.8 mm in diameter (Andriyashev 1954; Graham and Hop 1995; Hop et al 1995)
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