"Lodda på sommerbeite" . Feltobservasjoner i 1979 og 1980

Abstract

The Institute of Marine Research has, since 1979, carried out investigations on the capelin feeding conditions in the Barents Sea during the summer season. This program is aimed at obtaining data that can contribute to the understanding of the factors affecting the capelin growth in this area. The program is based on the working hypothesis that as the ice edge in the Barents Sea recedes northwards during the summer, new areas become available for biological production. If a series of observations are made from the ice edge towards the south, different phases in the production process can be found, from nutrients via phytoplankton and zooplankton to the capelin. In this program an attempt is made to follow the development of this production process in order to make the feeding conditions for the capelin and its variations. This will give background information for better predictions on the development of the capelin stock and with that, a better exploitation of the resource. The present report describes the methods used in the field work in order to verify the mentioned hypothesis. Most of the results obtained during the summer seasons of 1979 and 1980 are presented in the form of tables and figures and only with brief comments.