Novel biodiversity baselines outpace models of fish distribution in Arctic waters.

During a recent marine biological expedition to the Northeast Greenland shelf break (latitudes 74-77 °N), we made the first discovery of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), beaked redfish (Sebastes mentella) and capelin (Mallotus villosus). Our novel observations shift the distribution range of Atlantic cod >1000 km further north in East Greenland waters. In light of climate change, we discuss physical forcing and putative connections between the faunas of the Northeast Greenland shelf and the Barents Sea. We emphasise the importance of using real data in spread scenarios for understudied Arctic seas.

Arctic marine fishes and their fisheries in light of global change.

In light of ocean warming and loss of Arctic sea ice, harvested marine fishes of boreal origin (and their fisheries) move poleward into yet unexploited parts of the Arctic seas. Industrial fisheries, already in place on many Arctic shelves, will radically affect the local fish species as they turn up as unprecedented bycatch. Arctic marine fishes are indispensable to ecosystem structuring and functioning, but they are still beyond credible assessment due to lack of basic biological data. The time for conservation actions is now, and precautionary management practices by the Arctic coastal states are needed to mitigate the impact of industrial fisheries in Arctic waters. We outline four possible conservation actions: scientific credibility, 'green technology', legitimate management and overarching coordination.

The impact of fisheries on the dynamics of commercial fish species in Barents Sea and the Sea of Azov, Russia: a historical perspective.

This article presents a description of the background material, and analyses used by UNEP-GIWA for the assessment of the Russian seas. It gives an overview of the development of fisheries over the last 100 years in the 2 Russian seas, the Barents and the Azov Sea. The major stages of fisheries development in the Barents and in the Azov Seas and the main reasons for their decreasing productivity are discussed. These 2 seas, with very different physical and geographical characteristics, both show similar trends in fish-catch dynamics. The natural fluctuations of marine ecosystems and anthropogenic interference with natural ecosystems functions have led to significant negative impact on ecosystem health and have resulted in a negative change in both the structure and the amounts of catches. The decreasing fish catch in the Russian seas has become a concern for the Russian Federation, and revised policies for the management of the Russian fisheries have been introduced. This policy document Concept of the Fishery Development in the Russian Federation for the Period up to the Year 2020 is presented and discussed.