Abstract
Substantial changes have occurred in the Barents Sea ecosystem over the past 30 years, the most conspicuous being related to the rise and fall of stocks of the two dominant pelagic shoaling fish species: capelin (Mallotus villosus) and herring (Clupea harengus). Based on data from annual studies, the effects of these ecological changes on the diet and food consumption of the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), an important top predator in the system, were assessed for the period 1992-1999. Following a collapse in the capelin stock in 1992/1993, minke whales foraging in the northern Barents Sea apparently switched from a capelin-dominated diet to a diet almost completely comprised of krill (Thysanoessa sp. and Meganyctiphanes norvegica). The southern region of the Barents Sea represents important nursery areas for the Norwegian spring-spawning herring. Good recruitment to this stock gives strong cohorts and large numbers of young, immature herring (0-3 years old) which serve as the main food for mink...
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