Article
Environmental Sciences
Emma F. Vogel, Stine Skalmerud, Martin Biuw, Marie-Anne Blanchet, Lars Kleivane, Georg Skaret, Nils Oien, Audun Rikardsen
Summary: This study analysed satellite tag data from ten humpback whales in the Barents Sea to investigate how their movement and dive patterns are influenced by the distribution of capelin. The results showed that regions with high capelin density are important foraging grounds for humpback whales, emphasizing the key role of capelin in the marine ecosystem of the Barents Sea.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Clare Andvik, Tore Haug, Jan L. Lyche, Katrine Borga
Summary: This study analyzed the levels and tissue distribution of lipophilic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in 17 adult common minke whales from the Barents Sea, with legacy POPs being the dominating compound group. The study also quantified the placental transfer concentration ratios of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and metals in fetus-mother pairs, finding substantial transfer of PFAS from mother to fetus. This study provides valuable new data on pollutant levels and placental transfer of emerging contaminants in Arctic wildlife.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Saskia C. Martin, Ana S. Aniceto, Heidi Ahonen, Geir Pedersen, Ulf Lindstrom
Summary: This study reports the presence of humpback whale songs in subarctic waters of Northern Norway, lasting for several months and not limited to breeding grounds. The peak of song occurrence coincides with the reproductive cycle of humpback whales, indicating a potential role in cultural transmission.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Abigail McCarthy, Alex De Robertis, Stan Kotwicki, Kathy Hough, Paul Wade, Christopher Wilson
Summary: Fin and humpback whales in the waters around Kodiak Island, Alaska, compete for the same prey resources, with fin whales showing a preference for areas with high euphausiid concentrations, while humpback whales prefer shallower areas and euphausiids with lower concentrations. This suggests niche and habitat partition between these two co-occurring species.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2021)
Review
Oceanography
Susannah J. Buchan, Ivan Perez-Santos, Diego Narvaez, Leonardo Castro, Kathleen M. Stafford, Mark F. Baumgartner, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Paulina Montero, Laura Gutierrez, Constanza Rojas, Giovanni Daneri, Sergio Neira
Summary: This study examines the temporal variation in blue whale acoustic occurrence and prey backscatter on both seasonal and submonthly scales, combining passive acoustic, hydroacoustic, and oceanographic observations. Results show a strong correlation between blue whale acoustic presence and zooplankton backscatter, with song calls following a seasonal cycle and D-calls responding to short-term environmental variations. Spring tides and short-lived events of increased wind stress were found to contribute to prey aggregation and increase blue whale acoustic presence over specific cycles.
PROGRESS IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Martin Edwards, Pierre Helaouet, Eric Goberville, Alistair Lindley, Geraint A. Tarling, Michael T. Burrows, Angus Atkinson
Summary: The study reveals a 50% decline in surface krill abundance in the North Atlantic over the past 60 years, with no associated range shift. While warmer isotherms are shifting northwards, cooler isotherms have remained relatively static, leading to a narrowing of the core temperature range for krill distribution. This habitat squeeze may explain the decline in krill population and highlights the complexities of species response to warming temperatures.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Fisheries
N. O. A. S. Jourdain, E. Fuglebakk, S. Subbey
Summary: This study examines the maturation of capelin in the Barents Sea and finds that the assumption of constant maturity at length may overestimate the proportion of maturing stock compared to gonad-based estimates. The difference in estimates varies with time and stock size, highlighting the uncertainty associated with the current harvest rule.
FISHERIES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Salah Alrabeei, Sam Subbey, Sofie Gundersen, Harald Gjoaeter
Summary: This study inferred potential spawning regions of Barents Sea capelin using alternative data sources and clustering techniques. It showed that capelin mainly spawned in the eastern part of historical spawning areas and had some westward extensions in certain years. The methodology was efficient in reproducing capelin spawning regions and approximate time windows for commencement of spawning.
FISHERIES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kate S. Lomac-MacNair, Ann M. Zoidis, Darren S. Ireland, Meghan E. Rickard, Kim A. McKown
Summary: The occurrence and foraging behaviors of fin whales, humpback whales, and minke whales in the New York Bight are not well-documented. A 3-year baseline monitoring program funded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation conducted aerial surveys and found foraging events and fish schools. Understanding these whales' utilization of NYB waters is important for assessing potential impacts from anthropogenic sources.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Russell Leaper, Ellie MacLennan, Andrew Brownlow, Susannah V. Calderan, Katie Dyke, Peter G. H. Evans, Lauren Hartny-Mills, Dan Jarvis, Lauren McWhinnie, Alistair Philp, Fiona L. Read, Kevin P. Robinson, Conor Ryan
Summary: Entanglement in static fishing gear is a significant problem for large whales, especially minke whales and humpback whales, in Scottish waters. Scottish creel fishers have shown a willingness to cooperate in mitigating entanglement. The study provides valuable insights into the entanglement rates and potential mitigation options.
ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
David E. Cade, Shirel R. Kahane-Rapport, Ben Wallis, Jeremy A. Goldbogen, Ari S. Friedlaender
Summary: Animals are attracted to resource hotspots, but determining what makes one resource more appealing than another is challenging. A study conducted in Antarctica found that Charlotte Bay had over 5 times more humpback whales than neighboring Wilhelmina Bay, despite the latter being known for large aggregations of whales and Antarctic krill. The study revealed that factors such as patch size and krill length were more likely to predict whale foraging efforts, rather than the overall biomass of prey. Additionally, humpback whales in Charlotte Bay spent a significantly longer time foraging compared to those in Wilhelmina Bay, utilizing both deep dives and surface feeding strategies.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Diandra Duengen, Elke Burkhardt, Ahmed El-Gabbas
Summary: Understanding cetacean distribution is crucial for conservation purposes, especially in areas with rapid environmental changes. This study used species distribution models to predict suitable habitats for fin whales in the Nordic and Barents Seas, and identified several areas along the west coast of Svalbard, Iceland, southern East Greenland, and the Knipovich Ridge to Jan Mayen as important habitats for these whales. The use of presence-only SDMs proved to be an effective and cost-effective method for predicting cetacean habitat suitability in remote regions like the Arctic Ocean.
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
H. R. Skjoldal
Summary: Zooplankton biomass in the Barents Sea has undergone changes over four decades, with fluctuations related to the stock of Barents Sea capelin. The biomass was low in the 1980s but peaked in 1987 and 1994. In recent decades, there have been divergent trends, with high biomass in the inflowing Atlantic water and decreased biomass in the central area.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
S. Ten, K. Konishi, J. A. Raga, L. A. Pastene, F. J. Aznar
Summary: This article describes the epibiotic fauna of Antarctic minke whales and explores its potential to trace migrations. The findings suggest that there is no apparent recruitment of barnacles in Antarctic waters, and the occurrence of X. globicipitis is related to sea surface temperature.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Laura Pintore, Virginia Sciacca, Salvatore Viola, Cristina Giacoma, Elena Papale, Giacomo Giorli
Summary: Research on the acoustic presence of fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea revealed important findings such as the presence of individuals staying in the area for feeding or breeding purposes in autumn, and the relationship between the vocalization cycle and feeding activities and zooplankton vertical migration. This emphasizes the need for further and broader passive acoustic monitoring efforts in order to manage the species and mitigate the impact of anthropogenic activities at the basin level.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Olav Sigurd Kjesbu, Svein Sundby, Anne Britt Sando, Maud Alix, Solfrid Saetre Hjollo, Maik Tiedemann, Mette Skern-Mauritzen, Claudia Junge, Maria Fossheim, Cecilie Thorsen Broms, Guldborg Sovik, Fabian Zimmermann, Kjell Nedreaas, Elena Eriksen, Hannes Hoffle, Ann Merete Hjelset, Cecilie Kvamme, Yves Reecht, Halvor Knutsen, Asgeir Aglen, Ole Thomas Albert, Erik Berg, Bjarte Bogstad, Caroline Durif, Kim Tallaksen Halvorsen, Age Hoines, Carsten Hvingel, Edda Johannesen, Espen Johnsen, Even Moland, Mari Skuggedal Myksvoll, Leif Nottestad, Erik Olsen, Georg Skaret, Jon Egil Skjaeraasen, Aril Slotte, Arved Staby, Erling Kare Stenevik, Jan Erik Stiansen, Martina Stiasny, Jan H. Sundet, Frode Vikebo, Geir Huse
Summary: This study assessed the potential impact of climate change on 39 fisheries resources in the North East Atlantic towards 2050. It was found that most assessed stocks responded positively to climate change, with varying trends observed due to environmental factors and latitudes.
FISH AND FISHERIES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Berengere Husson, Sigrid Lind, Maria Fossheim, Hiroko Kato-Solvang, Mette Skern-Mauritzen, Laurene Pecuchet, Randi B. Ingvaldsen, Andrey V. Dolgov, Raul Primicerio
Summary: This study investigates the warming trend of the Arctic and reveals the complex ecological reactions and varied species responses to multiple extreme climatic events (ECEs). The ECEs have the potential to impact food web structures and functional diversity, highlighting the importance of long-term monitoring and better integration of risk and stochasticity in ecosystem management.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Laurene Pecuchet, Lis Lindal Jorgensen, Andreyv Dolgov, Elena Eriksen, Berengere Husson, Mette Skern-Mauritzen, Raul Primicerio
Summary: This study assesses the spatial and temporal turnover of bentho-demersal marine fauna in the Barents Sea, by integrating ecological metrics at the community and food web levels. The results suggest that different pressures, such as sea ice loss and fisheries, act on the bentho-demersal fauna, and the variation in community and food web metrics is influenced by environmental gradients and fishing pressure. The study highlights the importance of integrating community and food web analysis in ecological studies to better understand ecosystem patterns and drivers.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Mette Skern-Mauritzen, Ulf Lindstrom, Martin Biuw, Bjarki Elvarsson, Thorvaldur Gunnlaugsson, Tore Haug, Kit M. Kovacs, Christian Lydersen, Margaret M. McBride, Bjarni Mikkelsen, Nils Oien, Gisli Vikingsson
Summary: This study evaluates prey consumption by the marine mammal community in the northeast Atlantic and compares it with fisheries removals. Results show that marine mammals consume slightly more prey than fisheries. Additionally, significant changes in mammal consumption over the last decades are likely related to historic whaling and rapid changes in high-latitude systems.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Erik Askov Mousing, Benjamin Planque, Per Arneberg, Vilde Regine Bjordal, Felicia Keulder-Stenevik, Penny Lee Liebig, Herdis Langoy Mork, Mette Skern-Mauritzen
Summary: In the Norwegian Sea, the weight-based method of assessing diet composition through annual cruise activity is labor-intensive. This study re-analyses data from >14,000 stomachs for herring, mackerel, and blue whiting and compares the use of weight-based and occurrence-based methods for estimating diet composition. The results indicate that the occurrence-based method is more precise, captures year-to-year fluctuations, and provides similar results to the weight-based method.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Changkyu Choi, Michael Kampffmeyer, Nils Olav Handegard, Arnt-Borre Salberg, Robert Jenssen
Summary: Multifrequency echosounder data can provide a comprehensive understanding of the underwater environment without causing disturbance. The analysis of this data is crucial for the marine ecosystem, and semantic segmentation has gained attention in the fisheries and aquatic industry due to its potential in estimating marine organism abundance. However, the reliance on annotated training data is a major challenge, as it is expensive and time-consuming. In response, a novel approach is proposed that combines supervised and unsupervised learning to develop a data-efficient and accurate semisupervised semantic segmentation method.
IEEE JOURNAL OF OCEANIC ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Debbi Pedreschi, Susa Niiranen, Mette Skern-Mauritzen, David G. G. Reid
Summary: Integrated Ecosystem Assessments require considering all pressures and impacts on ecosystems, but limited capacity prevents this in most cases. To address this, a hierarchical approach is outlined, demonstrating how an established risk assessment approach can be adapted into a rapid risk scoping tool. This tool has been successfully applied in the Mission Atlantic project and the ICES Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Working Groups.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Rokas Kubilius, Benoit Berges, Gavin J. Macaulay
Summary: Remote fish sizing can be achieved by using high spatial resolution pulse compressed broadband echoes combined with narrow beamwidth transducers to measure the scattering from different parts of the fish body. A motorized apparatus with precise control of rotation angle was used to suspend fish in the acoustic beam for validation. Under controlled conditions, fish size was underestimated by 11-19 mm, depending on various factors. The best results were obtained using 160-260 kHz pulses with a slow rise and fall of pulse amplitude.
FISHERIES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
K. McQueen, J. E. Skjaeraasen, D. Nyqvist, E. M. Olsen, O. Karlsen, J. J. Meager, P. H. Kvadsheim, N. O. Handegard, T. N. Forland, K. de Jong, L. D. Sivle
Summary: The fine-scale behavioural responses of Atlantic cod to airgun exposure over an extended period were investigated using an acoustic telemetry positioning system on a spawning ground in Norway. The results suggest that relatively distant seismic surveys do not substantially alter cod behaviour during the spawning period at received sound exposure levels varying between 115 and 145 dB re 1 mu Pa(2)s over a 5-d period.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Sai Geetha Seri, Matthew Edward Schinault, Seth Michael Penna, Chenyang Zhu, Lise Doksaeter Sivle, Karen de Jong, Nils Olav Handegard, Purnima Ratilal
Summary: In an experiment in spring 2019, a prototype eight-element coherent hydrophone array was deployed to monitor spawning vocalizations of Norwegian coastal cod. The array recorded cod sounds and analysed their time-frequency characteristics and source level distribution. The study also estimated the spatial dependence of received cod vocalization rates using the array measurements, and found significantly reduced vocalization detection regions in shallow-water areas of the experimental site. The towable hydrophone array proved invaluable in providing continuous spatial coverage and complementing fixed sensor systems.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Ahmet Pala, Anna Oleynik, Ingrid Utseth, Nils Olav Handegard
Summary: Acoustic surveys play a crucial role in fisheries management by identifying different types of backscatter signals. However, conventional convolutional neural networks may struggle with imbalanced data. This study proposes a sampling strategy to address this issue and achieves accurate target classification by balancing the training and validation data.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Oceanography
Nina Mikkelsen, Benjamin Planque, Per Arneberg, Mette Skern-Mauritzen, Cecilie Hansen, Per Fauchald, Kirstin K. Holsman, Alan C. Haynie, Geir Ottersen
Summary: The components and services of the Barents Sea ecosystem are facing pressure from climate change and human activities. To address multiple pressures simultaneously, an integrative approach is used, but regular prioritization is necessary. In this study, a scoping exercise was performed using a multi-stakeholder approach to build conceptual models of the Barents Sea social-ecological system. The collective stakeholder model provides input for an integrated overview and strengthens prioritization in Ecosystem-based management.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Marina Espinasse, Eirik Mikkelsen, Sigrunn Holbek Sorbye, Mette Skern-Mauritzen, Jannike Falk-Andersson, Per Fauchald
Summary: Norway is a leading ocean-based food production nation, with a seafood industry that includes wild-capture fisheries and farmed fish production. This study examined the co-development of coastal fisheries and aquaculture in Northern Norway over a 14-year period, using a Bayesian approach. The results showed that there were no or few conflicts or synergies between these two industries, and the study also featured an advanced method for analyzing seafood production.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Rebecca J. Shellock, Christopher Cvitanovic, Mary Mackay, Merryn C. McKinnon, Jessica Blythe, Rachel Kelly, Ingrid E. van Putten, Paris Tuohy, Megan Bailey, Alpina Begossi, Beatrice Crona, Kafayat A. Fakoya, Beatrice P. Ferreira, Alice J. G. Ferrer, Katia Frangoudes, Judith Gobin, Hong Ching Goh, Paivi Haapasaari, Britta Denise Hardesty, Vreni Haussermann, Kelly Hoareau, Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Moenieba Isaacs, Marloes Kraan, Yinji Li, Min Liu, Priscila F. M. Lopes, Marina Mlakar, Tiffany H. Morrison, Hazel A. Oxenford, Gretta T. Pecl, Jerneja Penca, Carol Robinson, Samiya Selim, Mette Skern-Mauritzen, Kumi Soejima, Doris Soto, Ana K. Spalding, Alice Vadrot, Natasa Vaidianu, Mona Webber, Mary S. Wisz
Summary: Interdisciplinary marine research presents unique challenges for women leaders, compounded by existing gender-specific issues. This study provides concrete measures to promote and support women's leadership in academic interdisciplinary marine research.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Geir Ottersen, Andrew J. Constable, Anne B. Hollowed, Kirstin K. Holsman, Jess Melbourne-Thomas, Monica M. C. Muelbert, Mette Skern-Mauritzen
Summary: This article provides a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of climate change on polar marine ecosystems and highlights the knowledge gaps and regional biases in understanding these impacts. It also discusses the progress made in projecting ecosystem responses to future climate change and provides recommendations for future assessments.
FRONTIERS IN CLIMATE
(2022)