Blue whiting in the Norwegian Sea, spring and summer 1995 and 1996

The Norwegian Sea is an important feeding area for blue whiting in the Northeast Atlantic. The adult blue whiting migrates into the Norwegian Sea after spawning along the continental slope west of The British Isles. A major part of the spawning products drift northwards where the juveniles find nursery grounds in the southern Norwegian Sea, and among other areas, along the continental shelf off the Norwegian coast. Estimates of distribution and abundance of blue whiting in the Norwegian Sea have been obtained during acoustic surveys, as have age and length compositions of the stock, and stomach samples have been collected. The diet of blue whiting is described, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and some simple estimates of consumption are given, as well as differences in prey choice among various age groups

Trophic ecology of deepwater fishes associated with the continental slope of the eastern Norwegian Sea

In June 1995 and 1996 demersal fishes on the continental slope of the eastem Norwegian Sea were sampled to study distribution patterns and community structure. The diets of the more abundant slope species were characterised and linkages within the upper slope food-web identified. Few cases of predator-prey relationships between the typical slope fishes were found. Most of the smaller fishes fed on epibenthic crustaceans such as amphipods and mysids, while pelagic crustaceans and fish dominated the diets of larger fishes. Herring ( Clupea harengus) and blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) were important prey items of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), and were also eaten by Lycodesfrigidus, Raja hyperborea and roughhead grenadier (Macrourus berglax). At !east for the latter three species this probably reflected scavenging

Dypvannsfisk i Førdefjorden. Sannsynlighet for miljøkonsekvenser for bestander av dypvannsfisk som følge av dypvannsdeponi av gruveavgang fra rutil-utvinning i Engebøfjellet, Naustdal kommune

Nordic Mining ASA planlegger å utvinne rutil fra en forekomst i Engebøfjellet på nordsiden av Førdefjorden i Naustdal kommune i Sogn og Fjordane. Tiltaket er konsekvens-utredningspliktig etter bestemmelser i Plan- og bygningsloven, og Norsk institutt for vann-forskning (NIVA) fikk oppdraget med å koordinere KU-prossessen. Havforskningsinstituttet fikk i denne sammenheng i oppdrag å utrede sannsynligheten for miljøkonsekvenser for bestander av dypvannfisk som følge av etablering av dypvannsdeponi for gruveavgang i fjorden

Teleostei, Scophthalmidae: four-spot megrim spotted in Norwegian waters

The flatfish four-spot megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) was registered in Norwegian waters, both in trawl catches and video observations. The records represent a considerable northward extension of the species. Specimens of up to 49 cm were measured, representing also a new maximum size for this species. The number of registrations has increased within the last years, indicating that the species got more common in this area

Integrating complementary survey methods to estimate catches in Norway’s complex marine recreational hook-and-line fishery

Marine recreational fishing is popular in Norway, but current estimates of the catches by resident and tourist anglers are lacking due to several challenges, in particular Norway’s long and intricate coastline with no defined access points and the large tourist fishery. To test methods for long-term monitoring of boat-based marine recreational anglers, estimate their catches, and characterize the fishery, we conducted a roving creel survey based on a novel spatial sampling frame and a survey of tourist fishing businesses in Troms and Hordaland County. These surveys showed that cod (Gadus morhua) and saithe (Pollachius virens) dominated the catches in Troms, while mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and saithe dominated the catches in Hordaland. The estimated total annual harvest of cod by all marine recreational anglers was 2 160 tonnes (relative standard error, or RSE 44%) in Troms and 73 tonnes (RSE 29%) in Hordaland, of which ∼40% (in weight) were landed in registered tourist fishing businesses, based on data from the tourist fishing survey. The results indicate that recreational anglers in Hordaland harvest more cod in coastal waters than commercial fishers. This study provides information for developing marine recreational fisheries monitoring in challenging survey situations to support science-based fisheries management.publishedVersio