Spanish bottom trawl autumn survey “Fletán Ártico 2014” in the Slope of Svalbard (ICES Division IIb2)

Abstract

The "Fletán Ártico 2014" autumn survey is a continuation of the Spanish bottom trawl survey series started in 1997 on the slope of Svalbard (ICES IIb2). The survey was carried out from the 2nd to the 19th of September, 2014 on board a Spanish deep-sea trawler, using the Pedreira bottom trawl gear. There were 57 valid hauls in which Greenland halibut was clearly the predominant species, with high catch per unit effort (CPUE) values (6,159.8 kg/hr) and high estimated abundance (307,679 (‘000) individuals) and biomass (321,485 tons) indices. This survey shows a positive trend in these indices. The latitudinal and bathymetric distributions of the species are similar to those observed in previous years and the population structure is also similar to those described previously, with a predominance of males. Modal length is observed to be similar for both sexes (47 cm) but bigger than those recorded previously. Mature Greenland halibut individuals are dominant in the hauls. Feeding activity was observed to be quite low and the main preys were fish. When compared to the Greenland halibut, the accompanying species show very low CPUE values and very low abundance and biomass indices. By-catches of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) indicator species were either absent or lower than the threshold recommended by NEAFC/NAFO to define encounters with VMEs.