Norway and Russia discovering new habitats of cod

Norwegian and Russian scientists have found new habitats of cod in the Barents Sea, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/.

Three research vessels owned by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research and one Russian vessel Vilnus owned by PINRO Polar Institute of Oceanic Fishery and Oceanography performed a joint trip in the Barents Sea and surveyed from the sea's north to south and from west to east. Researchers from the both countries were much surprised to find North Atlantic cod to the north of the 82nd degree N. The vessels passed Spitsbergen from the east and found there big areas where cod was concentrating, the areas being well to the north of the stock's usual habitat.

According to the scientists, the North Atlantic cod has expanded its areal farther to the north, which has never been observed in the previous years. More specifically, big populations of cod have been found in the northeast of the Barents Sea, not far from the New Land.

The scientists attribute presence of abundant cod stocks in the north with record strong capelin stocks in the areas as well as with higher temperatures of sea water.

This autumn water temperature has been comparably lower than last summer, but simultaneously it has been higher than the average temperature in the recent 40 years. In the southeast off Spitsbergen the average water temperature at the depths of 50-200 meters has been recorded at 0.5 degree C this autumn. For comparison, 40 years ago the temperature in the same latitude did not ascend higher than 0.7 degree C on the average.