The Big Picture: The Faroe shelf has experienced significant declines in demersal fish stocks and seabird populations over the past 50 years. Understanding the interplay between exploitation and climate factors is crucial for explaining these changes.
The Study: Researchers examined the dynamics of the subpolar gyre, which influences marine climate and ecosystems in the northeastern Atlantic. They also investigated a century-old hypothesis suggesting that productivity in the Norwegian Sea’s eastern margin is driven by nutrient- and zooplankton-rich subarctic waters from the Iceland Sea-Jan Mayen region. These perspectives were combined with recent research on local processes affecting the Faroe shelf ecosystem.
The Discovery: The study found that successful recruitment of Faroese cod (Gadus morhua) and guillemots (Uria aalge) depends on two key factors: high on-shelf biological production and large volumes of subarctic waters surrounding the Faroe shelf, which serve as a proxy for high oceanic food content.
The Takeaway: This research provides a new perspective on the Faroe shelf ecosystem, suggesting that both local and regional oceanographic processes play crucial roles in determining the recruitment success of fish and seabirds. Understanding these complex interactions may help in developing more effective conservation and management strategies for this vulnerable ecosystem.