Blue whiting distribution and migration in Greenland waters

Post, Søren; Fock, Heino O.; Jansen, Teunis

doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2018.12.007

Cited by 8 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In Southwest and West Greenland waters zooplankton abundance is higher during warm periods (Pedersen & Smidt, 2000). Because these areas act as nursery grounds for several boreal fish species, such as Atlantic cod, blue whiting, redfish ( Sebastes mentella and S. norvegicus , Sebastidae) and wolffish ( Anarhichas spp., Anarhichadidae) (Pedersen & Kanneworff, 1995; Pedersen & Rice, 2002; Post et al., 2019), it appears that survival of the early life stages could benefit from increased abundance of zooplankton species, such as the copepod Calanus finmarchicus , during periods of higher temperatures (Pedersen & Smidt, 2000). Higher zooplankton availability could lead to improved feeding conditions for fish species higher in the food chain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1992 and 1994 were omitted due to poor survey coverage. A description of the three surveys spatial overlap is given in Post et al (2019). In total, observations from 10,373 trawl stations covering a shore distance of ~3,000 km went into the analysis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because distribution and abundance for many species are positively correlated through fish density dependent processes (Blanchard et al, 2005;Ralston et al, 2017;Zimmermann et al, 2018), it is expected that abundance of boreal fish in Greenland waters increases with increasing thermal habitat. Temperature can affect fish, and in turn their abundance through direct physiological responses as well as indirect through predation and food availability (Bakun, 1996;Lloret et al, 2013;Pörtner & Peck, 2010).…”

Section: The Mechanistic Role Of Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Subpolar gyre and temperature drive boreal fish abundance in Greenland waters

et al. 2020

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As result of ocean warming, marine boreal species have shifted their distribution poleward, with increases in abundance at higher latitudes, and declines in abundance at lower latitudes. A key to predict future changes in fish communities is to understand how fish stocks respond to climate variability. Scattered field observations in the first half of the 20th century suggested that boreal fish may coherently invade Greenland waters when temperatures rise, but this hypothesis has remained untested. Therefore, we studied how local temperature variability and the dynamics of the subpolar gyre, a large-scale driver of oceanic conditions in the North Atlantic, affect abundance of boreal fishes in a region that sharply defines their lower thermal boundary. We analysed information from demersal trawl surveys from 1981 to 2017, for species distributed from shallow shelf to depths of 1,500 m, collected at over 10,000 stations along ~3,000 km of Greenland. Our results show that local temperature and variability of Labrador and Irminger Sea water in the subpolar gyre region drive interdecadal variability of boreal fish abundance in Greenland waters. Although temperature fluctuations were higher in shallow than deep regions, fish abundance changed as quickly in great depths as in shallow depths. This link between physics and biology provides an opportunity for prediction of future trends, which is of utility in Greenland, where fisheries constitute more than 90% of the national export value.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Mechanistic Role Of Temperaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Subpolar gyre and temperature drive boreal fish abundance in Greenland waters

et al. 2020

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“…Huse et al, 2008;Jansen et al, 2012) of pelagic species. Given that blue whiting, sprat and herring have all been shown to undertake diel migrations (Cardinale et al, 2003;Post et al, 2019) resulting in greater day trawl catches (Petrakis et al, 2001) and that survey trawl data has been shown to be a reliable indicator of pelagic species abundance (Fig. 4, Suppl.…”

Section: Validation Of the Species Projectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes of potential catches for North-East Atlantic small pelagic fisheries under climate change scenarios

et al. 2020

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Small and intermediate-size pelagic fisheries are highly impacted by environmental variability and climate change. Their wide geographical distribution and high mobility makes them more likely to shift their distribution under climate change. Here, we explore the potential impact of different climate change scenarios on the four main commercial pelagic species in the North-East Atlantic (NEA): Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), European sprat (Sprattus sprattus), Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) and blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou).We used a process-based fisheries model (SS-DBEM), where all the target species were exploited at their maximum sustainable yield (MSY), to project future potential catches under a high and low future greenhouse gas scenario (RCP 2.6 and 8.5, respectively). Two ocean biogeochemical models (GDFL and MEDUSA) were used to force the environmental conditions. Mackerel and sprat are projected to have increases in a potential catch under both scenarios. Herring and blue whiting are projected to increase under the RCP2.6, but future projections under RCP8.5 show mixed responses with decreases or no changes forecasted.Overall, the potential catch is projected to increase in the northern area of the NEA but is projected to decrease in the southern area. These projected changes are mainly driven by changes in temperature and primary production. Shifts in the distribution of pelagic resources may destabilize existing international agreements on sharing of straddling resources as exemplified by the dispute in sharing of quota for Atlantic mackerel. Novel climate-ready policy approaches considering full species distribution are needed to complement current stock-based approaches.

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“…Blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou (Risso, 1827) is one of the boreal fish species that is currently scarce in Greenland waters but expected to increase in abundance with warming temperatures (Post et al 2019(Post et al , 2021. The blue whiting is a small gadoid fish distributed in most of the Northeast Atlantic but also occurs in less abundance in the Mediterranean Sea and Northwest Atlantic (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou diel feeding behaviour in the Irminger Sea

Post

Jónasdóttir²,

Andreasen³

et al. 2021

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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With warming ocean temperatures, the abundance of blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou is increasing in the waters around Greenland. However, in this region, knowledge about the species’ trophic role in the ecosystem is scarce. Consequently, we investigated the diet composition and diel feeding behaviour of blue whiting in the north-eastern part of the Irminger Sea in Greenland waters by analysing their stomach contents and the vertical position/movements of their prey from zooplankton samples and hydroacoustic measurements. We collected the data during a designated experimental survey in July 2016 with repeated sampling at the same location. Results from the stomachs of 624 blue whiting individuals ranging from 22-39 cm long (total length) showed that the highest food intake took place from noon until late evening, with minimum feeding occurring in the morning. The most essential prey groups consisted of euphausiids, copepods, amphipods and fish, in that respective order. Regarding copepod prey, blue whiting had a strong affinity for Calanus hyperboreus and Paraeuchaeta spp. and showed potential for local depletion of these large copepods. On the other hand, the more abundant but smaller C. finmarchicus was almost absent in the fish stomachs, in contrast to findings in other regions. This new understanding provides an early indication of some of the emerging trophodynamics in the Irminger Sea and similar subarctic zooplankton communities with increasing numbers of blue whiting. Our results confirm the importance of accounting for diel and size-specific differences in blue whiting feeding when studying various aspects of its food intake.

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Blue whiting distribution and migration in Greenland waters

Cited by 8 publications

References 23 publications

Subpolar gyre and temperature drive boreal fish abundance in Greenland waters

Subpolar gyre and temperature drive boreal fish abundance in Greenland waters

Changes of potential catches for North-East Atlantic small pelagic fisheries under climate change scenarios

Blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou diel feeding behaviour in the Irminger Sea

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