Complex hydrobiological survey in coastal waters of the Barents Sea Varanger fjord in May 2018

Abstract

In May 2018, in the coastal waters of the Varanger fjord of the Barents Sea, a hydrobiological survey was conducted aimed at studying the patterns of natural reproduction of a number of commercial objects and their food base. The main objects of study were the red king crab, scallops, sea urchins, seaweeds of the sublittoral complex and some other objects of benthos. The research included work with SCUBA at depths up to 30 m, the submersible video cameras at depths up to 60 m and some other underwater devices. 12 hydrobiological transects from the water edge to 30 m were completed, 24 video screens of the distribution of bottom landscapes and associated biocenoses were photographed, more than 500 specimens of red king crab, 219 specimens of sea scallops and 283 sea urchins were biological analyzed. A series of data on the distribution of temperature at different horizons is obtained. Five samples of benthos were selected on pebbles. An estimation of the species composition and the projective coverage of the main algae species of the littoral and sublittoral on the control sites were described. The collected materials will be used to assess the recent state of the stocks of commercial species and to identify factors that affect the conditions for their natural reproduction.