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Barents Sea - Key Species

Atlantic herring

Capelin

Polar cod

NEA cod

Haddock

Blue whiting

Saithe

Redfishes

Beaked redfish

Wolffish

Spotted wolfish

Greenland halibut

Northern prawn

Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus)

The Norwegian spring-spawning herring is presently (2011) the largest herring stock in the world. Due to a high spawning stock and an efficient management plan the stock is in good condition and on the same level as in the 1950s. The spawning stock in 2009 was estimated to 9 million tonnes with full reproductive capacity. Studies based on historic samples of scales have shown that when stock level is high, a larger proportion of a given year class seems to originate from the Barents Sea than when stock level is low. The fishery takes place all the year round (except March and April), but the fish quality is best at the spawning and overwintering areas.

Capelin (Mallotus villosus)

The Barents Sea capelin is a joint stock of Russia and Norway and the largest of all capelin stocks (2010). Population size shows large variations which is due to the short life span, considerable consumption by different predators and the fishery. In the past 20 years the fishery for capelin has been closed three times, but the stock is now on a sustainable level. The total catch in 2009 was 306 000 tonnes, maximum catch in 1977 was 3 million tonnes.

Polar cod (Boreogadus saida)

Highest densities are found in the eastern Barents Sea and the area off the Svalbard/Spitsbergen archipelago. The stock in the Barents Sea varies from year to year and was estimated to more than one million tonnes in 2010. There is a separate small population in the Porsangerfjord. Since the early 1980s only Russia is catching the species for commercial purposes.

NEA cod (Gadus morhua)

Northeast Arctic cod is the world?s largest stock of cod. Between 1950 and 2009 the biomass varied from 738 000 to 4 039 000 tonnes (mean 1 898 000 tonnes). Currently (2010) it is in good condition and above the long-time average. The spawning stock is increasing and close to the historical high level.

Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)

Between 1950 and 2009 the biomass varied from 70 000 to 1 085 000 tonnes (mean 361 000 tonnes). The stock is at a historically high level (2010), caused by several strong year-classes since 2000. Mainly Norway and Russia are harvesting the stock commercially. Some of the catches are bycatch when trawling for cod, but there is also a directed trawl and long-line fishery.

Blue whiting (Micromestisius poutassous)

It is managed as one stock, even if there is a northern and a southern population with a rough boundary at the Porcupine bank west of Ireland. There are small local populations in the Barents Sea and in some fjords which hardly migrate at all, but the bigger part belongs to the oceanic, Atlantic, main population. Stock size reached a top in the mid 2000s and has decreased since, influencing the ecosystem in the Norwegian and the Barents Sea. The abundance in the Barents Sea is dependent on recruitment to the stock, in years of high recruitment more migration into the area is observed.

Saithe (Pollachius virens)

Between 1960 and 2009 the biomass varied from 257 000 to 1 075 000 tonnes (mean 670 000 tonnes). The stock size was on a high level from 2000 to 2005, but has been decreasing since. Fishery quotas are adjusted accordingly. The main catches are taken by Norwegian and Russian bottom trawl fisheries.

Redfishes

The stock has been at a low level since the early 1990s. Age cohorts in the past decade were low and number of immature fish continues to decline. As a result the species classification in the Norwegian red list was raised from ?vulnerable? in 2006 to "endangered" in the 2010. Taken as bycatch in Russian fisheries.

Beaked redfish (Sebastes mentella)

The stock has reached a historical low and recruitment to the spawning stock was extremely low after 1995. The species is listed on the Norwegian Red list 2010 as "vulnerable". Since 2005, there have been signs of improved recruitment, probably resulting from effective, protective fisheries regulations. No direct fishery in Russia, but taken as bycatch.

Wolffish (Anarhichadea)

The Barents Sea population is not isolated from other populations in the North Atlantic. Compared to the other wolffish species it has the lowest stock abundance but the highest biomass. Based on Russain data stock biomass decreased over the past decades from 130 000 to approx. 10 000-20 000 tonnes. Of low economic importance, targeted in Russia (annual catch 16 000-32 000 tonnes) and marginally in Norway. Bycatch in line and trawl fishery.

Spotted wolfish (Anarhichas minor)

Probably only one stock in the Barents Sea, isolated from other populations in the North Atlantic. Based on Russian data total stock biomass varies between 10 000 and 70 000 tonnes, slightly increasing lately. Of minor economic importance in Norway. In Russia bycatch in long-line and bottom trawl fisheries (3 000-17 000 tonnes annual catch). Distribution and habitat overlaps with cod, the fishery on cod has a larger impact on this than on the other two wolffish species.

Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides)

The Northeast Arctic Greenland halibut (i.e. the Barents and Norwegian Sea) is managed as one stock unit. The biomass varied from 45 000 to 312 000 tonnes during 1964-2009 (mean biomass 126 000 tonnes). The spawning stock has been slowly recovering from a historic low in the early 1990s. Abundance of juveniles in the nursery area (north and east of the Svalbard/Spitsbergen archipelago) is increasing since 2000. Norwegian and Russian authorities agreed in 2009 to regulate the fishery for the species, deciding on a total catch quota of 15 000 tonnes per year in the years 2010-2012.

Northern prawn (Pandalus borealis)

Commercially this is one of the most important carideans of the North Atlantic. There is an intensive fishery around Iceland and a most important one in the Barent Sea, off the Norwegian coast.The stock biomass estimates have been above BMSY throughout the history of the fishery, with the biomass at the end of 2011 estimated to be well above Btrigger. Recruitment indices, available only for part of the stock, decreased from 2004 to 2007-2008 but were higher in 2009 to 2011. The Stock is estimated to be close to the carrying capacity. The risk of stock biomass being below Btrigger and fishing mortality above FMSY at end 2011 is less than 1%. (NAFO 2011).