Baited remote underwater video cameras were deployed in the Eastern Canadian Arctic, for the purpose of estimating local densities of the long-lived Greenland shark within five deep-water, data-poor regions of interest for fisheries development and marine conservation in Nunavut, Canada. A total of 31 camera deployments occurred between July-September in 2015 and 2016 during joint exploratory fishing and scientific cruises. Greenland sharks appeared at 80% of deployments. A total of 142 individuals were identified and no individuals were observed in more than one deployment. Estimates of Greenland shark abundance and biomass were calculated from averaged times of first arrival, video-derived swimming speed and length data, and local current speed estimates. Density estimates varied 1–15 fold among regions; being highest in warmer (>0 °C), deeper areas and lowest in shallow, sub-zero temperature regions. These baited camera results illustrate the ubiquity of this elusive species and suggest that Nunavut’s Lancaster Sound eco-zone may be of particular importance for Greenland shark, a potentially vulnerable Arctic species.

Marine fisheries are often allocated to stocks that reflect pragmatic considerations and may not represent the species’ spatial population structure, increasing the risk of mismanagement and unsustainable harvesting. Here we compile mark–recapture data collected across the North Atlantic to gain insight into the spatial population structure of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), an issue that has been unresolved for decades. The dataset contains 168130 fish tagged from 1952 to 2021, with 5466 (3.3%) recaptured individuals. Our results indicate that fish tagged at <50 cm body length migrate at higher rates, suggesting that mark–recapture studies on adult individuals underestimate population-level migration rates. We find evidence for migrations across management units in the North Atlantic indicating two regional offshore populations: one in the Northeast Atlantic, where the West Nordic and Northeast Arctic stocks, currently managed separately, likely belong to a single population that spans from the Kara Sea to Southeast Greenland; and one in the Northwest Atlantic where migration was observed between the Newfoundland and Labrador stock and the Northwest Arctic stock in Davis Strait and Baffin Bay. Our findings indicate complex population structure with implications for international and domestic fisheries management of this long-lived species.

Fish distribution is strongly influenced by temperature, with populations predicted to respond to ongoing changes in ocean climate by adapting distribution to maintain preferred thermal habitats. Over the last several decades, the Northwest Atlantic off Newfoundland, Canada has experienced wide variation in temperature and significant changes in the structure of the marine community. A period of particularly cold ocean conditions from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s saw Greenland halibut occupying deeper waters, and moving farther offshore and southward. Distributional shifts across periods of varying thermal conditions were most pronounced in the youngest ages. While no specific nursery areas were evident, these young fish typically occurred in shallower waters where temperatures were more variable, moving deeper with age. Sensitivity to changing ocean climate may vary with age. This adaptation to shifting temperatures suggests that this species is likely to alter its distribution in the face of continued changes in ocean climate. Age-specific differences in response to changing temperature have potential implications for ecosystem interactions and fisheries management.

Mobile hydroacoustic surveys are increasingly used to assess the distribution and abundance of freshwater fish; yet, fish may avoid moving vessels, potentially introducing bias in these assessments. In this study, avoidance in boreal lakes and reservoirs was quantified by developing a simple method based on paired drift:drift (D:D) and drift:motor (D:M) transects. Two systems in eastern Manitoba, Canada were studied: Lac du Bonnet reservoir and Nopiming. Acoustic data were collected using a digital DTX echosounder (BioSonics, Seattle, WA, USA), with a downward facing 200-kHz split-beam transducer, deployed from 5.5-m vessels (Boston Whalers) modified for acoustic research. An avoidance coefficient (Ac) was developed based on comparisons of acoustic fish densities while the vessel moved over the same transects by drifting, and by motoring at survey speeds. Ac did not differ significantly from 1 (no avoidance) at Nopiming (median of 0.81, n = 13), but did at Lac du Bonnet (median of 0.51, n = 31, P < 0.05). Variability in Ac was as high in transect pairs and was unrelated to fish depth (mean 6.9 m at Lac du Bonnet; 13.1 m at Nopiming) or survey speed (up to 3.70 mÁs À1 , 7 knots). Results indicated that fishes did not dive in the presence of the motoring vessel, nor was avoidance size-based. We did not detect any evidence of fish attraction to our drifting vessel. Our results suggest that boat avoidance during acoustic surveys of shallow boreal lakes may vary in relatively similar water bodies but can be quantified experimentally.

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