Ice Cod Arctogadus glacialis (Peters, 1874) in Northeast Greenland—A First Sketch of Spatial Occurrence and Abundance

Abstract

Based on bottom trawl catches during the years 2002–2017, we present the first large-scale baseline on the spatial distribution and abundance of ice cod Arctogadus glacialis (Peters, 1874) in the fjords and on the shelf in Northeast Greenland (latitudes 70 °N–78 °N). Ice cod abundance peaked in the secluded sill fjords such as Bessel Fjord, Brede Fjord, Clavering Ø fjord system and Kong Oscar Fjord as compared to the offshore shelf. The mean biomass was estimated as 3.9 kg/km₂ on the shelf and 49.3 kg/km₂ in the fjords. Nearly 45% of the biomass was restricted to temperatures < −1.0 °C and almost 90 % of the biomass occurred within 200–600 m depth. This corresponds well with the deep, subzero fjords along the Northeast Greenland coast which, thus, appear the most suitable habitat for ice cod. Moreover, there was a gradual decrease in ice cod biomass on the shelf over the years 2002–2017. This apparent relocation of ice cod matches the ongoing warming of the Northeast Greenland shelf waters. Given that the overall temperature space of ice cod spans less than 4 ºC in Northeast Greenland, it is likely that the species is particularly vulnerable to climate change as warmer waters before long enter the fjords, i.e., the main habitat for ice cod.