Do Norwegian Atlantic salmon feed in the northern Barents Sea? Tag recoveries from 70 to 78 degrees N

Abstract

Three tagged Atlantic salmon Salmo salar were recaptured as subadults/adults (1.4 - 3 kg) between 70.5º - 78º N in the western Barents Sea; two of the fish originated from the Alta Fjord region in northern Norway and one from the Drammen River, south-eastern Norway. An additional tag was recovered from the stomach of a Greenland halibut captured south-west of Bear Island at >600m depth; this tag was from a smolt released in the River Alta one month earlier. These are the northernmost tag recoveries reported for Atlantic salmon, and indicate that Norwegian salmon, especially the fish from northern populations, may use the northern Barents Sea as a feeding area during part of their life cycle.