Ecological investigations on the spawning grounds of the Barents Sea capelin

• Main Authors: Sætre, Roald, Gjøsæter, Jakob
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: [Fiskeridirektoratets havforskningsinstitutt] 1975
• Subjects: Barents Sea; Bergen; Norway; Northern Norway
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11250/114402

SÆTRE, R. and GJØSÆTER, J. 1975. Ecological investigations on the spawning grounds of the Barents Sea capelin. FiskDir. Skr. Ser. HavUnders., 16: 203-227. A programme to study the reproduction of the Barents Sea capelin was conducted by the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen during the period 1971-1974. The present paper deals with the investigations on the spawning grounds along the coast of northern Norway. During the years of investigations the spawning started between 1 and 15 March, and there was a gradual movement of the spawning area towards north and east during the observation period. The temperature during the incubation has been 1.5 and 6.5°C. The main spawning depth appears to be between 25 and 75 m. The extremes of the spawning depth observed was 12 and 280 m. The capelin seem to prefer rather coarse substratum as gravel or cobble for spawning. The capelin eggs are mixed with the substratum to a layer up to 15 cm thick. This burying of the eggs is caused by strong current resulting in a sediment transport along the bottom. Both diving ducks and haddock have been observed feeding on capelin eggs. This predations is probably of little importance although the haddock may consume significant egg quantities on some of the deepest spawning grounds.