| Summary: | Sprat (Sprattus sprattus) (Icelandic: brislingur) is a small clupeid fish superficially similar in appearance to a small herring. It is widely dispersed in shallow waters in Europe from the North and Baltic Seas to the Mediterranean with separate subspecies occurring in each of these three subregions. Sprat was unreported in Icelandic waters until 2017, when a single individual was caught in a research trawl off the south coast. Since then, further records have been reported in coastal waters south and west of the country. It is probable that sprat entered the Icelandic marine zone as pelagic eggs or larvae which were carried from elsewhere in Europe, such as the Faroe Islands, although isolated incidents of sprat being found in ballast water have been reported. New species entering marine ecosystems deserve attention as to whether or not a species could be high or low impact within a system and be of consequences for marine managers. This thesis aims to summarise much of the data that has been collected to date, from secondary data as well as primary data collected in partnership with the Icelandic Marine and Freshwater Research Institute. Weight, length, maturity class, and age data from subsets of samples collected are presented and species distribution models produced to predict current habitat suitability and potential future habitat suitability under four different climate scenarios. It is confirmed that sprat spawns in Icelandic waters and reaches at least four years of age. Species distribution models suggest habitat suitability will continue to be present under all modelled climate scenarios for the years 2050 and 2100. It is suggested that future investigation of the species’ behavioural ecology in Iceland, particularly feeding preference and ecological niche overlap with other species, may be a valuable route for further research. Brislingur (Sprattus sprattus) er smávaxinn fiskur af síldaætt, svipaður útlits og ung síld (Clupea harengus). Brislingur finnst víða í innhöfum og við strendur Evrópu frá ...
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