Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida, Gadidae) in the Chukchi Sea and adjacent waters

Biology, spatial distribution, migrations, and stock dynamics are considered for arctic cod in the Russian sector of the Chukchi Sea and adjacent waters of the northern Bering Sea on the data of trawl surveys conducted by Pacific Res. Inst. of Fisheries and Oceanography (TINRO) in 1971–2020, fishery statistics and cited data. Active fishery of arctic cod occurred in late 1960s — early 1970s and in 1980s, when annual catch of this species reached 24,500 t. Mean size of arctic cod in trawl catches increased southward with decreasing of the underyearlings portion; the mean size was larger in catches of bottom trawl than in catches of midwater trawl because of the same reason. The females became adult from the size 11–12 cm, the males — from the size 8–9 cm. Diet of arctic cod included benthos and plankton, as well as juvenile fish. Spawning of arctic cod in the Chukchi Sea in summer-autumn was never observed, but some fish ready to spawn were found in the Bering Strait in this season. Arctic cod aggregated in the coastal zone of the southern Chukchi Sea in August, then partially migrated to the Bering Sea through the Bering Strait in September-November. The portion of the Chukchi Sea stock involved into this migration depended on fall oceanographic conditions — it was considerably larger in cold years with early freezing of the sea. Back migration from the Bering Sea to Chukchi Sea depended on spring environments — only a part of the fish of Chukchi Sea origin returned back in cold years with late ice melting and the rest spawned in the Bering Sea, whereas almost all the fish returned to the Chukchi Sea for spawning in warm years with early melting. The stock of arctic cod in the western Chukchi Sea varied in 1971–2020 between 3.5–396.5 . 103  t, on average 80.6 . 103  t in the bottom layer, and between 4.0–329.2 . 103  t, on average 150.6 . 103  t in the upper layer.

1. Andriyashev, A.P., Geographic distribution of commercial fish in the Bering Sea and related issue, Issled. morey SSSR, 1935, no. 22, pp. 133–145.

2. Andriyashev, A.P., To the knowledge of the ichthyofauna of the Bering and Chukchi seas, Issled. Morei SSSR, 1937, no. 25, pp. 292–355.

3. Andriyashev, A.P., Ryby severnykh morei SSSR (Fishes of the Northern Seas of the USSR), Moscow: Аkad. Nauk SSSR, 1954.

4. Andriyashev, A.P., Mukhomediyarov, B.F., and Pavshtiks, E.A., On mass accumulations of cryoplagic cod fishes (Boreogadus saida and Arctogadus glacialis) in the circumpolar regions of the Arctic, Biologiya Tsentral’nogo Arkticheskogo basseyna (Biology of the Central Arctic Basin), Moscow: Nauka, 1980, pp. 196–211.

5. Bondarev, B.M. and Sorokin, L.I., Description of the cage, Sayka (Saika), PetropavlovskKamchatskiy: Kamchat. otd-niye Dal’nevost. kn. izd-va, 1970, pp. 3–9.

6. Datsky, A.V. and Andronov, P.Yu., Ikhtiotsen verkhnego shel’fa severo-zapadnoi chasti Beringova morya (The Ichthyocene on the Upper Shelf of the Northwestern Bering Sea), Magadan: Sev.-Vost. Nauchn. Tsentr, Dal’nevost. Otd., Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2007.

7. Deryugin, K.M., Works of the Pacific Expedition of the State Hydrological Institute in 1933, Issled. morey SSSR, 1935, no. 22, pp. 5–21.

8. Dumanskaya, I.O., Ledovye usloviya morey aziatskoy chasti Rossii (Ice conditions of the seas of the Asian part of Russia), Moscow; Obninsk: IG-SOCIN, 2017.

9. Efimkin, A.Ya., Feeding of arctic cod Boreogadus saida in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, Izv. Tikhookean. Nauchno-Issled. Inst. Rybn. Khoz. Okeanogr., 2013, vol. 173, pp. 184–192.

10. Klumov, S.K., Saika, Promyslovyye ryby SSSR (Commercial fish of the USSR), Moscow: Pishchepromizdat, 1949, pp. 519–522.

11. Moiseev, I.A. and Zaselsky, V.I., On the history of research on biological resources of the Far Eastern seas (1923–1941), Istoriya regional’nykh issledovaniy biologicheskikh resursov gidrosfery i ikh ispol’zovaniya (History of regional research on biological resources of the hydrosphere and their use), Moscow: Nauka, 1982, pp. 66–80.

12. Napazakov, V.V. and Chuchukalo, V.I., Nutrition and some ecology features of halibuts in the western part of the Bering Sea in the summer-autumn period, Vopr. Rybolov., 2001, vol. 2, no. 2(6), pp. 319–337.

13. Naumenko, N.I. and Dzhangildin, Ch.A., Distribution of plankton and some fish species in the southern part of the Chukchi Sea, Biologicheskiye resursy Arktiki i Antarktiki (Biological resources of the Arctic and Antarctic), Moscow: Nauka, 1987, pp. 224–238.

14. Orlov, А.М., Benzik, А.N., Vedishcheva, Е.V., Gafitsky, S.V., Gorbatenko, К.M., Goryanina, S.V., Zubarevich, V.L., Kodryan, К.V., Nosov, М.А., Orlova, S. Yu., Pedchenko, А.P., Rybakov, М.О., Sokolov, А.М., Somov, А.А., Subbotin, S.N., Taptygin, М.Yu., Firsov, Yu.L., Khleborodov, А.S., and Chikilev, V.G., Fisheries research in the Chukchi Sea at the RV «Professor Levanidov» in August 2019: some preliminary results, Tr. Vses. Nauchno-Issled. Inst. Rybn. Khoz. Okeanogr., 2020, vol. 178, pp. 206–220. doi 10.36038/2307-3497-2019-178-206-220

15. Orlov, A.M., Savin, A.B., Gorbatenko, K.M., Benzik, A.N., Morozov, T.B., Rybakov, M.O., Terent’ev, D.A., Vedishcheva, E.V., Kurbanov, Yu. K., Nosov M.A., and Orlova S.Yu., Biological research in the Russian Far Eastern and Arctic seas during the VNIRO transarctic expedition, Tr. Vses. Nauchno-Issled. Inst. Rybn. Khoz. Okeanogr., 2020, vol. 181, pp. 102–143. doi 10.36038/2307-3497-2020-181-102-143

16. Pavshtiks, E.A., On the amount of zooplankton in the high latitudes of the Arctic Ocean and its role in the life cycle of fish, Biologicheskiye resursy Arktiki i Antarktiki (Biological resources of the Arctic and Antarctic), Moscow: Nauka, 1987, pp. 60–89.

17. Parin, N.V., Evseenko, S.A., and Vasiljeva, E.D., Ryby morei Rossii: annotirovannyi katalog (Fishes of Russian Seas: Annotated Catalogue), Moscow: KMK, 2014.

18. Ponomarenko, V.P., Arctic cod migrations in the Soviet sector of the Arctic, Tr. Polyrn. NauchnoIssled. Inst. Rybn. Khoz. Okeanogr., 1968, no. 23, pp. 500–512.

19. Ponomarenko, V.P., Distribution of Arctic cod in the Barents Sea, Rybn. Khoz., 1965, no. 1, pp. 8–12.

20. Ponomarenko, V.P., Areas and conditions for spawning Arctic cod in the Barents Sea, Materialy sessii Uchonogo soveta PINRO po rezul’tatam issledovaniy 1962–1963 (Proceedings of the PINRO Scientific Council session based on the research results of 1962–1963), Murmansk, 1964, pp. 220–226.

21. Ponomarenko, V.P., Saika — Boreogadus saida (Lepechin, 1774), Promyslovyye ryby Rossii. V dvukh tomakh (Commercial fishes of Russia: in 2 volumes),

22. Gritsenko, O.F., Kotlyar, A.N., and Kotenev, B.N., eds, Moscow: VNIRO, 2006, pp. 367–371.

23. Svetovidov, A.N., Codfish, Fauna SSSR. T. 9: Ryby (Fauna of the USSR, vol. 9: Fish), Moscow: Аkad. Nauk SSSR, 1948, no. 4.

24. Glubokovsky, M.K., Tarasyuk, S.N., Zverkova, L.M., Semenyak, L.V., Murzov, N.N., Petrova, N.V., Brazhnik, S.Yu., and Horse, V.A., Syr’yevaya baza rossiyskogo rybolovstva v 2012 godu (rayony rossiyskoy yurisdiktsii) : spravochno-analiticheskiye materialy (Raw materials base of Russian fishing in 2012 (areas of Russian jurisdiction): reference and analytical materials), Moscow: VNIRO, 2012.

25. Taranets, A.Ya., A brief guide to the fish of the Soviet Far East and adjacent waters, Izv. Tikhookean. Nauchno-Issled. Inst. Rybn. Khoz. Okeanogr., 1937, vol. 11.

26. Taranets, A.Ya., New data on the fish fauna of the Bering Sea, Vestn. Dal’nevost. Fil. Akad. Nauk SSSR, 1933, no. 1/3, pp. 67–78.

27. Tiller, L.D., Materialy po pitaniyu sayki v Beringovom i Chukotskom moryakh (Materials on Arctic Cod Feeding in the Bering and Chukchi Seas), Available from TINRO, 1976, Vladivostok, no. 14879, no. GR 71070017.

28. Fadeev, N.S., Spravochnik po biologii i promyslu ryb severnoi chasti Tikhogo okeana (A Reference Book on Biology and Harvesting of Fishes in the Northern Pacific Ocean), Vladivostok: TINRO-Tsentr, 2005.

29. Cherkasova, L.D., Size composition, growth and fertility of the Far Eastern Arctic cod, Issled. Biol. Rybn. Promysl. Okeanogr., 1976, no. 7, pp. 137–143.

30. Chuchukalo, V.I., Pitanie i pishchevye otnosheniya nektona i nektobentosa v dal’nevostochnykh moryakh (Diet and Feeding Interactions among Nekton and Nektobenthos in the Far Eastern Seas), Vladivostok: TINRO-Tsentr, 2006.

31. Sheiko, B.A. and Fedorov, V.V., Katalog pozvonochnykh Kamchatki i sopredel’nykh morskikh akvatoriy (Catalog of Kamchatka’s vertebrates and adjacent marine areas), Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: Kamchatsky Pechatny Dvor, 2000.

32. Barber, W.E., Smith, R.L., and Meyer, R.M., Demersal fish assemblages of the northeastern Chukchi Sea, Fish. Bull., 1997, vol. 95, no. 2, pp. 195–209.

33. Frost, K.J. and Lowry, L.F., Demersal fishes and invertebrates trawled in the northeastern Chukchi and western Beaufort seas, 1976–1977, NOAA Tech. Rep., NMFS, SSRF, 1983, no. 764. doi 10.13140/RG.2.2.36401.38245

34. Gillispie, J.G., Smith, R.L., Barbour, E., and Barber, W.E., Distribution, abundance, and growth of Arctic cod in the northeastern Chukchi Sea, Fish ecology in arctic North America, Bethesda, Maryland: American Fisheries Society, 1997, pp. 81–89.

35. Helser, T.E., Colman, J.R., Anderl, D.M., Kastelle, C.R., Growth dynamics of saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) and Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas, Deep-Sea Res., Part II, 2017, vol. 135, pp. 66–77. doi 10.1016/j.dsr2.2015.12.009

36. Mecklenburg, C.W., Lynghammar, A., Johannesen, E., Byrkjedal, I., Christiansen, J.S., Dolgov, A.V., Karamushko, O.V., Mecklenburg, T.A., Møller, P.R., Steinke, D. and Wienerroither, R.M., Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, Akureyri, 2018, vol. 1. Boreogadus saida, Polar cod: fisheries (fishbase.us). http//: www.fishbase.us/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=319&lang=russian. Cited January 27, 2021.

37. Sayka (polyarnaya tresochka) Barentseva morya. Putinnyy prognoz 2006 (Sayka (polyarnaya tresochka) Barentseva morya. Putinnyy prognoz 2006), Murmansk: PINRO, 2006.

38. Okeanograficheskaya entsiklopediya (Oceanographic Encyclopedia), Leningrad: Gidrometeoizdat, 1974.

39. Cherkasova, L.D., K biologii dal’nevostochnoy sayki (On the biology of the Far Eastern Arctic cod), Available from TINRO, 1974, Vladivostok, no. 13942.

40. Sayka, Promyslovaya obstanovka i rezul’taty raboty flota po osnovnym ob”yektam i rayonam lova Dal’nego vostoka 1968 (Fishing situation and the results of the work of the fleet in the main objects and fishing areas of the Far East 1968), Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: Upravleniye Promrazvedki SakhalinRybproma, 1969, p. 366.

41. Sayka, Promyslovaya obstanovka i rezul’taty raboty flota po osnovnym ob”yektam i rayonam lova Dal’nego vostoka 1969 (Fishing situation and the results of the work of the fleet in the main objects and fishing areas of the Far East 1969), Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: Upravleniye Promrazvedki SakhalinRybproma, 1970, pp. 341–342.

42. Sayka, Promyslovaya obstanovka i rezul’taty raboty flota po osnovnym ob”yektam i rayonam lova Dal’nego vostoka 1970 (Fishing situation and the results of the work of the fleet in the main objects and fishing areas of the Far East 1970), Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: Upravleniye Promrazvedki SakhalinRybproma, 1971, pp. 317–326.

43. Sayka, Promyslovaya obstanovka i rezul’taty raboty flota po osnovnym ob”yektam i rayonam lova Dal’nego vostoka 1971 (Fishing situation and the results of the work of the fleet in the main objects and fishing areas of the Far East 1971), Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: Upravleniye Promrazvedki SakhalinRybproma, 1972, p. 318.

44. Sayka, Obzor promyslovoy obstanovki v Tikhookeanskom basseyne v 1981 g. (Review of the fishing situation in the Pacific Basin in 1981), Vladivostok: TURNIF–DAL’RYBA, 1982, pp. 196–199.

45. Savin, A.B., Dudkov, S.P., Panchenko, V.V., Balanov, A.A., Khleborodov, A.S., and Syrovatkin, E.V., Reysovyy otchet o donnoy tralovoy s”yemke vneshnego shel’fa i mezali Tikhookeanskoy podzony Severo-Kuril’skoy zony i Petropavlovsko-Komandorskoy podzony, a takzhe pelagicheskoy tralovo-akusticheskoy s”yemke v Zapadno-Beringovomorskoy i Chukotskoy promyslovykh zonakh na NIS «Professor Levanidov» 19 iyulya — 10 sentyabrya 2018 g. (Cruise report on bottom trawl survey of the outer shelf and mesals of the Pacific subzone of the North Kuril zone and the PetropavlovskCommander subarea, as well as pelagic trawl-acoustic survey in the West Bering Sea and Chukotka fishing zones on the R/V Professor Levanidov 19 July — 10 September 2018), Available from TINRO, 2018, Vladivostok, no. 28251.