Jan Mayen—a new spawning and fishing area for Atlantic cod Gadus morhua

Abstract

In 2018, commercially exploitable concentrations of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua were found on the shelf around the Arctic island Jan Mayen (7 1°N, 8–9 °W) and in 2019–2021 an exploratory cod fishery with longline was carried out in the area. The total catch in the period 2018–2021 was 1737 tonnes. The first records of cod fishery in the Jan Mayen area are from the early 1930s but catches before 2018 were minimal. In 2019–2020 cod spawning was documented in this area for the first time. Catches in 2019 and 2020 were dominated by cod between 70 and 100 cm, while in 2021 the main part of the catches was cod between 60 and 100 cm. Catch rates were highest in autumn. We summarize the history of cod observations and the experience from the recent exploratory fishery in this shelf area where there has been no regular monitoring of demersal fish abundance. Further, we consider possible links with cod stocks in other Arctic and sub-Arctic areas and discuss the occurrence of cod in the Jan Mayen area in relation to the biology and recent development of other cod stocks.