Climate changes and the distribution of the northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis)

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.

In this study, the distributional pattern of northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) on Icelandic fishing grounds was investigated by calculating the center of gravity CG for each from 1988 to 2012. The CG was then used as a response variable to see which environmental factors are likely to be affecting the direction of movement. Factors such as sea surface and bottom temperature were of main interest but other factors, such as cod abundance on the shrimp fishing ground and the total shrimp catch were also investigated. The timeline was divided in two eras. First, the years between 1988 to 2000, when the movement of the CG is in a southeastern direction, moving towards land. Secondly are the years from 2001 to 2012 when the direction is in a northwestern direction, moving away from land. A linear model showed only shrimp catch to be affecting the movement, explaining 59.7% of the observed variation. No significant relationship was found between ocean temperature and the direction of movement in neither direction. The overall movement is likely to be caused by a combination of multiple factors and needs further investigation.