ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access originally published online on June 27, 2008
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 2008 65(7):1161-1174; doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn103
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The distribution of chondrichthyans along the northern coast of Norway
1 Norwegian College of Fishery Science, University of Tromsø, Breivika, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
2 Institute of Marine Research, N-5817 Bergen, Norway
Correspondence to M. Aschan: tel: +47 776 46953; fax: +47 776 46020; e-mail: michaela.aschan{at}nfh.uit.no.
Williams, T., Helle, K., and Aschan, M. 2008. The distribution of chondrichthyans along the northern coast of Norway. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1161–1174.The relationship between temperature, latitude, and depth and the distribution and relative abundance of chondrichthyans along the northern coast of Norway was examined based on catches made in scientific trawls north of 62°N from 1992 to 2005. It appears that Chimaera monstrosa, Etmopterus spinax, Squalus acanthias, and Galeus melastomus were more abundant in the south, and Amblyraja radiata more common in the north. Between 1992 and 2005, the distribution and relative abundance did not appear to change significantly, although average water temperatures rose during the period. Current fishing levels do not appear to be impacting the populations of the more common species, but the status of species rarely found in the survey catches is unclear.
Keywords: abundance, bottom trawl survey, Chondrichthyes, distribution, elasmobranchs, Norway, shark, skate
Received 4 February 2008; accepted 16 May 2008; advance access publication 27 June 2008.