Capelin in Faroese waters - A messenger of harsh times?

Abstract

Small numbers of 0- and 1-group capelin are frequently found in Faroese waters and, because no spawning/nursery areas have been located there, their presence has been attributed to eddies from the East Icelandic Current occasionally entering the Faroe Shelf. In 1991 an exceptionally large number of 0-group capelin was caught in the 0-group research survey, and from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, several other unusual biological phenomena were identified, including low primary production, recruitment failure to major demersal fish stocks, and immigration of autumn-spawning herring. We discuss these phenomena in relation to the atypical oceanographic conditions of the period. © 2002 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.