Ich hyoplank on and pelagic ish assemblages
in he G eenland Sea in 2017
Ca oline Boucha d
Technical Repo no. 110
G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
12 Feb ua y 2020
1
Ti le: Ich hyoplank on and pelagic ish assemblages in he G eenland
Sea in 2017
Au ho : Ca oline Boucha d
Publishe : G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
Da e o publica ion: 2020
Financial suppo : No heas G eenland En i onmen al S udy P og am
Danish Cen e o En i onmen and Ene gy a Aa hus Uni e si y
G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces
Go e nmen o G eenland - En i onmen al Agency o Mine al
Resou ce Ac i i ies
Co e pho o: Ca oline Boucha d
ISSN: 1397-3657
ISBN: 87-91214-88-2
EAN 9788791214882
Web: h p://www.na u .gl/publika ione / ekniske appo e
Ci a ion: Boucha d (2020) Ich hyoplank on and pelagic ish assemblages in
he G eenland Sea in 2017. Technical epo no. 110, G eenland
Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces, G eenland. ISBN 87-91214-88-2
24 pp.
1
English Summa y
Following a S a egic En i onmen al S udy Plan o No heas G eenland commissioned by
he Danish Cen e o En i onmen and Ene gy (DCE), he G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al
Resou ces (GINR) and The Bu eau o Mine als and Pe oleum G eenland (BMP), a scien i ic
c uise was conduc ed onboa d he R/V Dana om 23 augus o 11 Sep embe 2017. The main
objec i e o he c uise was o p o ide en i onmen al in o ma ion o he planning and he
egula ing o oil explo a ion ac i i ies in he G eenland Sea. The speci ic objec i e o he
p esen epo is o p o ide in o ma ion on ich hyoplank on and pelagic ish in he egion. The
me hods used include ich hyoplank on ne s, pelagic awl and hyd oacous ics. The
ich hyoplank on collec ed belong o a e y low numbe o species, p edominan ly pola cod
(Bo eogadus saida), a key species in a c ic ma ine ecosys ems. Spa ially, pola cod domina ed
he assemblage on he con inen al slope and o sho e while he o he species domina ed he
shel assemblage. P elimina y in es iga ions sugges ed an appa en shi owa ds ea lie
ha ching o pola cod, which could be associa ed wi h a elaxa ion in he ex eme
en i onmen al condi ions ypical o he egion (long sea-ice season and eezing sea su ace
empe a u e) o e he pas 25 yea s. This shi , i con i med, could ep esen an inc ease in he
ec ui men o pola cod popula ions in he G eenland Sea. To in es iga e u he his issue, a
s udy based on o oli home ic measu emen s o he pola cod la ae collec ed will be ini ia ed
in he coming mon hs, and he esul s will be published in a pee - e iewed scien i ic jou nal
such as Pola Biology. Combining he da a om he echosounde wi h hose o he awl
allowed o associa e di e en echo pa e ns o speci ic o ganisms in he wa e column.
Spa ially, he acous ic da a showed ha he no heas e n pa o he s udy a ea appea ed as a
egion o high biomass o he en i e wa e column. The a ea encompassed he shel b eak, an
habi a pola cod is known o occupy in la ge biomass in o he A c ic egions. Fu he analyses
linking he acous ic da a will wi h en i onmen al pa ame e s such as salini y, empe a u e and
sea-ice dynamics will be done, compa ed wi h simila s udies om o he a c ic seas, and
syn hesized in a publica ion o be submi ed in a pee - e iewed scien i ic jou nal such as
P og ess in Oceanog aphy.
2
G eenlandic Summa y – Kalaallisu Naalisa neqa ne a
Kalaalli Nunaa a kangiani a a angiisi igu misissuinissamu qi iusumik pile saa u ip
Danma kimi Na ional Cen e o Miljø og Ene gimi (DCE), Pinngo i ale i immi kiisalu
Bu eau o Mine als and Pe oleumimi (BMP) inniminne neqa up kingo na umia sua mik R/V
Danamik ilisima usa neq augus ip 23-ani sep emba ip 11-a 2017-ip ungaanu
inge lanneqa poq. Umia sua mik angalane mi Kalaalli Nunaa a ima aani uuliamik
misissuine i pile saa usia inissaa mali a isassiuunneqa nissaallu pillugi a a angiisinu
paasissu issanik unniussinissaq pingaa ne u siune aa oq. Nunap ima aani aalisakkanu
ike inna sio unu suaannullu unngasunik paasissu issiinissaq nalunaa usiami ma umani
pingaa ne u siune aa oq. Pe iu si a o neqa u ilaa igu assaappu suannu qassu i ,
ike inna sio unik kilisanneq kiisalu imaani nipi . Suaa ka e so neqa u uumasoqa igiinnii
iki uinna nee suuppu , ame lane igu eqalugaane uppu (Bo eogadus saida), issi up
ima aani uumasoqa igiinni a aqa igiiaa uni pingaa ne saasu . Immap i ile ia ne anii
i ine saanu eqalukka ame lane usimappu ima mili sine issap qani uani ikka umi
uumasoqa igi alla ame lane usimallu ik. Misissuigalla ne i aku ippaa eqalukka suaa
siusinne usukku uke ale simasu , amanna ukiuni 25-ni a a angiisi nunap ima aani
a a angiisi igu pissu sini imaannaanngi suni (si isuumik sikuusa ne a immallu qaa a a
qe isa ne a pissu igalugu) eqqissisima i aane mi pissu eqa sinnaa oq. Tamanna
allanngo ia neq uppe na sa neqassappa aa a Kalaalli Nunaa a ima aani eqalukka
ame le iassappu . Tamanna misissoqqinnia lugu eqalukka suaasa/eqalukka
u oqqaassusaannik uu ukka unnga igalugi misissuineq qaamma ini agge suni
aalla inneqassaq, misissuine milu ine ne i ilisima usa nikku allagaa eqa ikku soo lu Pola
Biologykku amanu saqqummiunneqassappu . Akisua aammi i issuse siummi
paasissu issa kilisaa iniillu aama u paasissu issa ka inne isigu ima mi i issu sini
assigiinngi suni uumassusilli paasineqa sinnaasimappu . Nipi igu paasissu issa aku ippaa
ima mi ama miusumi i issu sini assigiinngi suni misissui igineqa umi a annaani kangiani
ame lasuunik uumasoqa iusoq. Ima aq misissui igineqa oq i ile ia neqa sima oq, Issi ullu
ima aanni allani i ile ia ne i aama i u eqalukka uuma igisa agaa u ilisimaneqa pu .
Misissueqqissaa ne i alla nipinik paasissu issanu a assu illi , a a angiisini uu uine i , soo lu
a ajoqassu simik, kissassu simik sikullu aalaasianik misissuine i a o lugi
inge lanneqassappu , ma umani issi up ima aani allani misissuine i sanilliunneqassappu
ilisima usa nikkullu allagaa eqa immu soo lu P og ess in Oceanog aphymu
saqqummiunneqa nissaanu ka inneqassallu ik.
3
Danish Summa y - Dansk O e sig
E e en s a egisk miljøs udieplan o No døs g ønland bes il a Na ional Cen e o Miljø og
Ene gi (DCE), G ønlands Na u ins i u (GINR) og den Bu eau o Mine als and Pe oleum
(BMP) ble de gennem ø e idenskabelig k yds og ombo d på R/V Dana a 23. augus il
11. sep embe 2017. Ho ed o måle med k yds og a a le e e miljøoplysninge il
planlægning og egule ing a olieud o skningsak i i e e i G ønlandsha e . De speci ikke
o mål med denne appo e a gi e in o ma ion om isk og de es la e i egionen. De
an end e me ode om a e plank onne , iske æl og hyd oakus ik. Den opsamlede isk la e
ilhø e e mege la an al a e , o e ejende pola o sk (Bo eogadus saida), en nøglea i
a k iske ma ine økosys eme . Pola o sk la e domine ede på den kon inen ale hældning og
o sho e, mens de and e a e domine ede næ kys en. P æliminæ e unde søgelse o eslog e
ilsyneladende ski i e ning a idlige e udklækning o pola o sk, h ilke kunne æ e
o bunde med en a slapning i de eks eme miljø o hold, de e ypiske o egionen (lang ha is
sæson og ysning empe a u ) i løbe a de sids e 25 å . De e ski e, h is de bek æ es, kunne
ep æsen e e en s igning i ek u e ingen a pola o sk popula ione i G ønland. Fo yde lige e
a unde søge de e p oblem il de bli e indled en unde søgelse base e på o oli home iske
målinge a pola o sk la e ne i de kommende månede , og esul a e ne il bli e o en liggjo
i e idenskabelige idssk i som Pola Biology. Kombina ion a da a a ekkolodde med
awle ne illades a o binde o skellige ekko møns e med bes em e o ganisme i
andkolonnen. Akus iske da a is e, a den no døs lige del a unde søgelsesom åde op åd e
som en egion med høj biomasse il hele andkolonnen. Om åde om a ede den kon inen ale
hældning, en habi a pola o sk e kend o a op age i s o biomasse i and e a k iske egione .
Yde lige e analyse , de o binde de akus iske da a, il med miljøpa ame e som
sal holdighed, empe a u og ha is dynamik ud ø es sammenligne med lignende unde søgelse
a and e a k iske ha e og syn e ise es i en publika ion, de skal indsendes i e idenskabelige
idssk i som P og ess in Oceanog aphy.
4
Table o Con en
English summa y ....................................................................................................................... 1
Danish summa y - Dansk O e sig ............................................................................................ 2
Table o Con en ........................................................................................................................ 4
Lis o Tables ............................................................................................................................. 5
Lis o Figu es ............................................................................................................................ 6
1. In oduc ion ............................................................................................................................ 7
2. Ma e ials and Me hods ........................................................................................................ 8
2.1. Field sampling ................................................................................................................ 8
2.2. Da a analysis .................................................................................................................. 8
3. Resul s ................................................................................................................................. 10
3.1. Ich hyoplank on .......................................................................................................... 10
3.2. Pelagic ish and o he auna ....................................................................................... 11
3.3. Hyd oacous ics ............................................................................................................ 12
4. Discussion ............................................................................................................................ 20
4.1. Ich hyoplank on .......................................................................................................... 20
4.2. Pelagic ish and o he auna ....................................................................................... 20
5. Acknowledgemen s .............................................................................................................. 21
6. Re e ences ............................................................................................................................ 22
5
Lis o Tables
Table 1. Main axa collec ed in he FOTÖ mesopelagic awl………………………………10
6
Lis o Figu es
Figu e 1. Example o acous ic da a be o e (le panel) and a e (middle and igh panels) signal
condi ioning combining a backg ound, impulse and ansien noise emo al algo i hms and smoo hing
wi h a median il e and ping esampling. ............................................................................................... 9
Figu e 2. Abundance and axonomical composi ion o ich hyoplank on sampled du ing he 2017
su ey in No heas G eenland. ............................................................................................................. 10
Figu e 3. Localiza ion o he s a ions sampled wi h he FOTÖ mesopelagic awl du ing he 2017
su ey in No heas G eenland. Colo scale indica es ba hyme y. ...................................................... 11
Figu e 4. Echog am a 38 Khz eco ded du ing he pelagic awl deploymen a s a ion 14. The hick
sca e ing laye be ween ca. 300-500 m was associa ed wi h agg ega ions o he Myc ophid ish
Ben hosema glaciale. ............................................................................................................................ 12
Figu e 5. Echog am a 38 Khz eco ded du ing he pelagic awl deploymen a s a ion 24. The hin
sca e ing laye s be ween ca. 60-120 m we e associa ed wi h agg ega ions o he squid Gona us
ab icii. .................................................................................................................................................. 13
Figu e 6. Echog am a 38 Khz eco ded du ing he pelagic awl deploymen a 30 m a s a ion 76
which esul ed in an emp y ne . ............................................................................................................ 13
Figu e 7. Echog am a 38 Khz eco ded du ing he pelagic awl deploymen a s a ion 83 which
yielded a mix o k ill, he amphipod Themis o libellula, pola cod, squids and Myc ophids. .............. 14
Figu e 8. Echog am a 38 Khz eco ded a 500 m bo om dep h nea he con inen al shel b eak)
showing an upwelling. Black colo indica es pe iods o unusable da a. ............................................... 14
Figu e 9. Maps indica ing acous ic backsca e (log NASC a 38 Khz) along he ship’s ou e ( op
panel) and in e pola ed o e he s udy a ea (bo om panel) o he su ace laye . G ey con ou lines
show 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 m isoba hs. ................................................................. 16
Figu e 10. Maps indica ing acous ic backsca e (log NASC a 38 Khz) along he ship’s ou e ( op
panel) and in e pola ed o e he s udy a ea (bo om panel) o he epipelagic laye . G ey con ou lines
show 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 m isoba hs. ................................................................. 17
Figu e 11. Maps indica ing acous ic backsca e (log NASC a 38 Khz) along he ship’s ou e ( op
panel) and in e pola ed o e he s udy a ea (bo om panel) o he mesopelagic laye . G ey con ou
lines show 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 m isoba hs. ......................................................... 18
Figu e 12. Maps indica ing acous ic backsca e (log NASC a 18 Khz) along he ship’s ou e ( op
panel) and in e pola ed o e he s udy a ea (bo om panel) o he deme sal laye . G ey con ou lines
show 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 m isoba hs. ................................................................. 19
7
1. In oduc ion
This epo was commissioned by he Danish Cen e o En i onmen and Ene gy (DCE), he
G eenland Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces (GINR) and The Bu eau o Mine als and Pe oleum
G eenland (BMP) as pa o he S a egic En i onmen al S udy Plan o No heas G eenland
2016-2019 o p o ide en i onmen al in o ma ion o planning and egula ing oil explo a ion
ac i i ies and oil spill esponse in he G eenland Sea. The main objec i e consis ed in
documen ing he ho izon al and e ical dis ibu ion o ich hyoplank on and pelagic ish
assemblages in he G eenland Sea using ich hyoplank on ne s, a pelagic awl and
hyd oacous ics.
14
Figu e 7. Echog am a 38 Khz eco ded du ing he pelagic awl deploymen a s a ion 83
which yielded a mix o k ill, he amphipod Themis o libellula, pola cod, squids and
Myc ophids.
Figu e 8. Echog am a 38 Khz eco ded a 500 m bo om dep h nea he con inen al shel
b eak) showing an upwelling. Black colo indica es pe iods o unusable da a.
15
To show he e ical and ho izon al dis ibu ion o he acous ic signal, maps o he nau ical a ea
sca e ing coe icien (NASC in uni m2 nmi−2) a 38 Khz we e p epa ed o h ee dep h s a a:
he su ace (5-25 m), he epipelagic (25-200 m), and he mesopelagic (200-800 m) laye .
Addi ionally, pa o he acous ic da a a 18 kHz we e clean nea he bo om, and we e used o
build a map o deme sal acous ic backsca e (bo om 50 m). Each map is p esen ed bo h along
he ship’s ou e and in e pola ed o e he s udy a ea (Fig. 9-12).
Acous ic backsca e in he su ace was highe in he no heas e n pa o he s udy a ea (Fig.
9), coinciding wi h he a e whe e he mos la al and ju enile Gadidae we e collec ed in he
ne s (Fig. 2). Fo he epipelagic laye , he s onges acous ic backsca e was ound on he shel
a ca. 76-77°N (Fig. 10). A eas o s ong epipelagic backsca e also included he coas al sou h
o he Wollas on Fo eland peninsula, he con inen al shel b eak abo e 76°N, and deep wa e
egions in he no heas e n pa o he s udy a ea (Fig. 10). Acous ic backsca e in he
mesopelagic laye was highe nea he shel b eak in he no heas e n pa o he s udy a ea
(Fig. 11). The deme sal acous ic backsca e a ied li le among he a ailable da a along he
ship’s ou e (Fig. 12).
16
Figu e 9. Maps indica ing acous ic backsca e (log NASC a 38 Khz) along he ship’s ou e
( op panel) and in e pola ed o e he s udy a ea (bo om panel) o he su ace laye . G ey
con ou lines show 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 m isoba hs.
17
Figu e 10. Maps indica ing acous ic backsca e (log NASC a 38 Khz) along he ship’s ou e
( op panel) and in e pola ed o e he s udy a ea (bo om panel) o he epipelagic laye . G ey
con ou lines show 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 m isoba hs.
W
F
W
F
18
Figu e 11. Maps indica ing acous ic backsca e (log NASC a 38 Khz) along he ship’s ou e
( op panel) and in e pola ed o e he s udy a ea (bo om panel) o he mesopelagic laye .
G ey con ou lines show 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 m isoba hs.
19
Figu e 12. Maps indica ing acous ic backsca e (log NASC a 18 Khz) along he ship’s ou e
( op panel) and in e pola ed o e he s udy a ea (bo om panel) o he deme sal laye . G ey
con ou lines show 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 m isoba hs.
20
4. Discussion
4.1. Ich hyoplank on
Wi h e y ew species, he axonomical composi ion o he la al and ju enile ish assemblages
collec ed du ing he p esen s udy was simila o ha o ano he su ey ca ied ou in he
G eenland Sea in 1993 (Michaud e al. 1996). Howe e , he ea ly li e dynamics o pola cod
Bo eogadus saida, a key species in his ecosys em, may ha e changed since hen. Conside ing
he size ange o he indi iduals collec ed in he p esen s udy, hei cap u e da e, and g ow h
a es ypical o he species in he ci cumpola A c ic (Boucha d and Fo ie 2008; 2011), i
appea s ha he ha ching season was om mid-Ma ch o mid-July in 2017, compa ed o mid-
May o he end o July in 1993 (Fo ie e al. 2006). As documen ed in he Canadian A c ic,
he appa en shi owa ds ea lie ha ching could esul om an inc ease in he su i al o ea ly
ha che s ollowing a elaxa ion in he ex eme en i onmen al condi ions ypical o he egion
(long sea-ice season and eezing sea su ace empe a u e) o e he pas 25 yea s (Boucha d
and Fo ie 2011). This change may be synonymous wi h a ansien inc ease in ec ui men
(Boucha d e al. 2017), al hough no conclusion can be d awn om he da a cu en ly a ailable.
4.2. Pelagic ish and o he auna
The mos abundan ish species collec ed wi h he pelagic awl was he Myc ophid Ben hosema
glaciale. The o he ish species collec ed in he pelagic awl co esponded o he species
cap u ed as la ae and ju eniles in he MIKne : pola cod, T iglops nybelinii and Lipa is
ab icii. Euphausids (k ill) was he axa collec ed in he highes biomass in he pelagic awl
and was also collec ed in la ge quan i ies by he MIKne . F om he acous ic da a, he
no heas e n pa o he s udy a ea appea ed as a egion o high biomass o he en i e wa e
column. The a ea encompassed he shel b eak, an habi a pola cod is known o occupy in
la ge biomass in o he A c ic egions, such as he Canadian and he Alaskan Beau o Sea
(Geo oy e al. 2016, Pa ke -S e e e al. 2011). The acous ic da a also p o ided anecdo al
e idence o upwelling a he shel b eak in his a ea, a ea u e ha could en ich su ace wa e s
wi h nu ien s and suppo ela i ely high biomass o phy o-, zoo-, and ich hyoplank on and
c ea e a local pelagic ‘’ho spo ’’.
21
5. Acknowledgemen s
The unding o his s udy was p o ided by he No heas G eenland En i onmen al S udy
P og am. The No heas G eenland En i onmen al S udy P og am is a collabo a ion be ween
DCE – Danish Cen e o En i onmen and Ene gy a Aa hus Uni e si y, he G eenland
Ins i u e o Na u al Resou ces, and he En i onmen al Agency o Mine al Resou ce Ac i i ies
o he Go e nmen o G eenland. Oil companies ope a ing in G eenland a e obliged o
con ibu e o knowledge ega ding en i onmen al ma e s. The S a egic En i onmen al Impac
Assessmen and he backg ound s udy p og am is unded unde hese commi men s
adminis e ed by he Mine al Licence and Sa e y Au ho i y and he En i onmen al Agency o
Mine al Resou ce Ac i i ies. The acous ic da a collec ed we e analyzed by Julek Chawa ski a
Memo ial Uni e si y o New oundland unde he supe ision o D . Maxime Geo oy.
22
6. Re e ences
Akima, H. and Gebha d , A. 2016. Akima: In e pola ion o I egula ly and Regula ly Spaced
Da a. R package e sion 0.6-2. h ps://CRAN.R-p ojec .o g/package=akima
Boucha d, C., Fo ie , L., 2008. E ec s o polynyas on he ha ching season, ea ly g ow h and
su i al o pola cod Bo eogadus saida in he Lap e Sea. Ma ine Ecology P og ess Se ies
355, 247-256.
Boucha d, C., Fo ie , L., 2011. Ci cum-a c ic compa ison o he ha ching season o pola cod
Bo eogadus saida: A es o he eshwa e win e e uge hypo hesis. P og ess in
Oceanog aphy 90, 105-116.
Boucha d, C., Robe , D., Nelson, R.J., Fo ie , L., 2013. The nucleus o he lapilla o oli h
disc imina es he ea ly li e s ages o Bo eogadus saida and A c ogadus glacialis. Pola
Biology 36, 1537-1542.
De Robe is, A., and Higginbo om, I. 2007. A pos -p ocessing echnique o es ima e he
signal- o-noise a io and emo e echosounde backg ound noise. – ICES Jou nal o Ma ine
Science, 64: 1282–1291.
Fo ie , L., Si ois, P., Michaud, J., Ba be , D., 2006. Su i al o A c ic cod la ae
(Bo eogadus saida) in ela ion o sea ice and empe a u e in he No heas Wa e Polynya
(G eenland Sea). Canadian Jou nal o Fishe ies and Aqua ic Sciences 63, 1608-1616.
Geo oy, M., Majewski, A., LeBlanc, M., Gau hie , S., Walkusz, W., Reis , J.D., Fo ie , L.,
2016. Ve ical seg ega ion o age-0 and age-1+ pola cod (Bo eogadus saida) o e he annual
cycle in he Canadian Beau o Sea. Pola Biology 39, 1023-1037.
Ko neliussen, R.J. and Ona, E. 2003. Syn he ic echog ams gene a ed om he ela i e
equency esponse. ICES Jou nal o Ma ine Science, 60: 636–640.
Michaud, J., Fo ie , L., Rowe, P., Ramseie , R., 1996. Feeding success and su i o ship o
A c ic cod la ae, Bo eogadus saida, in he No heas Wa e Polynya (G eenland Sea).
Fishe ies Oceanog aphy 5, 120-135.
Pa ke -S e e , S., Ho ne, J., Weinga ne , T., 2011. Dis ibu ion o pola cod and age-0 ish
in he U.S. Beau o Sea. Pola Biology 34, 1543–1557.
Ryan T. E., Downie R. A., Klose R. J., Kei h G. 2015. Reducing bias due o noise and
a enua ion in open-ocean echo in eg a ion. ICES Jou nal o Ma ine Science, 72: 2482-2493.
