Barents Sea Plankton Data

Barents Sea Plankton Data: 1952 - Present Day

In the early 1950's, PINRO initiated annual plankton research
expeditions. PINRO regularly conducted 3 surveys a year. To obtain
good material on the most abundant plankton species - Calanus and
Euphausiacea - surveys must be carried out at different times, using
different fishing gear.

Mesoplankton were surveyed during summer and autumn when copepods
develop intensively and all age groups are concentrated in 0-50m.
Juday net(gauze #38, opening size 37cm) with a locker was used for
sampling. Plankton were fished in the vertical regime at 0-50m,
50-100m, 100-200m and 200-bottom.

Macroplankton were surveyed in winter when all age groups of
Euphausiacea are concentrated in the near bottom layers and can be
sampled using one set of fishing gear. The net (gauze #140, opening
size 50cm) was fastened on the headline of a fishing trawl. The net
was used to fish macroplankton in the horizontal regime 6-10m from
the bottom at 2.5 n.miles/hr, filtering 1000m3 of water.

All materials obtained are annually processed, recorded on special
forms together with the data on sampling conditions and abiotic
factors and stored in the PINRO Laboratory of Marine Biology. In
the laboratory, samples are examined with a binocular microscope at
2x8 magnification and copepods are counted in the random camera.
The samples are statistically and graphically processed.

The objective of this work is to reveal the regularities of
formation of the Barents Sea Plankton community and to investigate
its role in water trophicity. The activities include investigations
of interannual dynamics of plankton related to advection of Atlantic
waters and consumption of plankton. The results of these
theoretical investigations are used by PINRO in order to determine
future food supply for different fishes and serve as a prognostic
predictor in fisheries forecasting.