Spatial ecosystem dynamics in a changing environment: overview from the Barents Sea

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The arctic Barents Sea is one of the Large Marine Ecosystems that is most sensitive to changing climate, and one where relatively small externally derived environmental changes can have large impacts on the spatial structure of the ecosystem. Furthermore, the Barents Sea is home to large stocks of gadoids and forage fish, supporting extensive commercial fisheries. As a result there exists an extensive time series of fisheries and ecosystem datasets, giving a detailed knowledge base with which to examine these changes. This presentation therefore presents an overview of some of the cases where changing environmental conditions are currently, or may soon be, changing the structure (especially the spatial structure) and hence the functioning of different components of the ecosystem. Examples presented cover predators, forage fish and plankton, and their interactions. The implications of these changes for current assessment and management procedures are highlighted and discussed