Cod, haddock, saithe, herring, and capelin in the Barents Sea and adjacent waters: a review of the biological value of the area

Abstract

Cod, haddock, saithe, herring, and capelin are the most important fish species in the Barents Sea and adjacent waters. Ecosystem-based management requires species-specific knowledge of the biological value and vulnerability throughout their life history and distributional range. For each of the five species and four annual quarters, the spawning (egg) areas, nursery areas for larvae and juveniles, and feeding grounds for adults are described and mapped. Areas of eggs (spawning) and larvae were the most important because these are the life stages when fish are most vulnerable to anthropogenic impact. The greatest overlap of spawning areas was from Røstbanken in the south to the Varanger Peninsula in the northeast, and overlap of larval distribution was more extensive.