Marine Fishes Expert Network: findings and recommendations from the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program’s State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Report

• Main Authors: Hedges, Kevin J, MacPhee, Shannon, Þór Valtýsson, Hreiðar, Johannesen, Edda, Mecklenburg, Catherine W
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: PeerJ 2018
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Marine Areas; Climate change; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.26780v1; https://peerj.com/preprints/26780v1.pdf; https://peerj.com/preprints/26780v1.xml; https://peerj.com/preprints/26780v1.html

Pelagic and benthic fish species are important in Arctic marine ecosystems because they transfer energy to predators such as seabirds, marine mammals, as well as people. The CBMP Marine Fishes Expert Network aggregated and reviewed data on the population status and trends of three marine fish Focal Ecosystem Components (FECs) across eight Arctic Marine Areas. Fishes are affected by environmental conditions such as temperature, sea ice availability and salinity, and are constrained by prey availability and predator pressure, which can be influenced by climate change. The three marine fish FECs discussed here are indicative of different changes that are occurring in the Arctic and demonstrate the varied responses observed among species. The presentation will summarize current level of monitoring across the Arctic, the status and trends of FECs, drivers of observed trends, and knowledge and monitoring gaps.