Effects of rebuilding cod size structure in a warmer Barents Sea

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The call for this theme session postulates that reduction of individual body size of marine organisms may result from warming temperatures and/or fishing. Northeast Arctic cod in the Barents Sea, currently the world’s largest cod stock, does apparently provide a counterexample. A considerable increase has recently been observed both in total stock size, mean size of fish in the stock and the catch and spatial distribution, as well as in the temperature in the area (Kjesbu et al. 2014). This increase in stock size is due to both sound fisheries management and favorable climatic conditions.