Greenland Sea ecoregion – Ecosystem overview ...

• Main Author: ICES
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Published: ICES Advice: Ecosystem Overviews 2024
• Subjects: Ecosystem observation, processes and dynamics; Fisheries and aquaculture; Greenland Sea ICES Ecoregion; Greenland; Greenland Sea; Sebastes mentella
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.22664881.v1; https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/report/Greenland_Sea_ecoregion_Ecosystem_overview/22664881/1

Human activities and their pressures · Fishing is the most important human activity in the ecoregion. Fishing pressure is generally close to levels to achieve maximum sustainable yield for commercially harvested stocks, with the exception of pelagic redfish ( Sebastes mentella ). · Hunting affects several marine mammal species and has contributed to population declines in several species in the ecoregion. · The ecoregion has fewer types of human activities compared to other ecoregions, and it is a sink for contaminants and litter transported from global sources outside the ecoregion. State of the ecosystem · There are species-rich and structurally complex benthic communities present in the ecoregion. The high biomasses of large sessile species, constitute in some cases vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMS e.g. sponges and corals) that are susceptible to the impacts of mobile bottom-contacting fishing gear. · The stock sizes of commercial species, with the exception of pelagic redfish species, are for the most ...