Marine fauna

The indicators for the animal life in the sea (the marine fauna) provide some information on the state of this life in Svalbard, on Bjørnøya and Jan Mayen, and in surrounding waters. The monitoring concerns seabirds, marine mammals, commercially exploited fish stocks and zooplankton.

Fauna Marine fauna

Biomass of polar cod in the Barents Sea

The polar cod (Boreogadus saida) is the only strictly arctic pelagic fish species in the Barents Sea. It is adapted to Arctic water masses, with temperatures down to the freezing point. The…

Fauna Marine fauna

Black-legged kittiwake

The kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) obtains its food on the surface and hence functions as an indicator for this part of the marine ecosystem. This pelagic gull comprises a large proportion of the sea birds, in…

Fauna Marine fauna

Brünnich’s guillemot

Since the Brünnich’s guillemot (Uria lomvia) feeds on key species in the ecosystem and is so abundant, it may be a good indicator for the productivity of the ecosystem. The Brünnich’s…

Fauna Marine fauna

Capelin stock in the Barents Sea

Capelin (Mallotus villosus) are a small pelagic fish species that are an important food source for fish, seabirds and marine mammals and accordingly, they are considered to be a key species…

Fauna Marine fauna

Common eider

The common eider (Somateria mollissima borealis) is monitored due to that it is a significantly important species in the Arctic marine food chain. Eiders feed on benthic organisms and can…

Fauna Marine fauna

Common guillemot

The common guillemot (Uria aalge) is a food specialist which, in the breeding season, chiefly lives on pelagic fish such as capelin and herring. This makes it a good indicator of changes in…

Fauna Marine fauna

Glaucous gull

The glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus) has a circumpolar, high-Arctic distribution and breeds throughout Svalbard. It is a generalist that exploits many different kinds of prey such as fish…

Fauna Marine fauna

Stock of golden redfish in the Barents Sea

The golden redfish (Sebastes norvegicus) is classified as a threatened species. The population is small and continues to fall. Measures to improve the situation have been initiated in recent years.

Fauna Marine fauna

Harp seal

Harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) are monitored because the population can be affected by hunting and the species is dependent upon ice and may be affected by climate change. It is…

Fauna Marine fauna

Hooded seal

The hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) is one of two pelagic seal species that have been harvested in Norwegian territories. The population size of hooded seal has declined steadily after the…

Fauna Marine fauna

Ivory gull

The ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea) is a high-Arctic species that is associated with ice-filled waters throughout the year. The species is found in north-eastern Canada, Greenland, Svalbard and…

Fauna Marine fauna

Polar bear

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) in the Barents Sea lives on disappearing sea ice. Climate warming is the main threat to polar bears. The polar bear habitat is changing rapidly, and…

Fauna Marine fauna

Stock of beaked redfish in the Barents Sea

The stock of beaked redfish (Sebastes mentella) has a positive development. Recruitment to the stock was weak from 1996 to 2004, but has been clearly strengthened since then.

Fauna Marine fauna

Stock of Northeast Arctic cod in the Barents Sea

The spawning stock of Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua) is currently at a medium level. The Northeast Arctic cod is the largest cod stock in the world.

Fauna Marine fauna

Stock of young herring in the Barents Sea

The herring (Clupea harengus) stock in the Barents Sea is now at a low level, after a temporary rise due to a strong year class in 2016.

Fauna Marine fauna

Walrus

The Svalbard walrus (Odobenus marinus) population was hunted to near extinction hundreds of years ago and remains Red Listed (Vulnerable) today. Surveys on haul-out sites show that…

Fauna Marine fauna

Zooplankton species composition in Kongsfjorden

The Kongsfjorden pelagic ecosystem is influenced by both Atlantic and Arctic waters. The relative amount of the Atlantic Calanus finmarchicus and the Arctic Calanus glacialis varies from year…

Fauna Marine fauna

Zooplankton biomass in the Barents Sea

Zooplankton are small organisms that follow ocean currents and essentially have their entire life cycle in the free water masses. Of these, small crustaceans such as the…