An overview of the East Greenland stock complex of Atlantic salmon

ICES notes that very little contemporary information on Atlantic salmon off the coast of East Greenland exists, although new studies are starting to provide some insights for this area. A series of marine surveys was conducted during the late 1960s through the early 1970s. There was likely lower density of Atlantic salmon in the Irminger Sea off the east coast of Greenland (Figure 1) than in West Greenland. The biological characteristics of salmon off East Greenland were similar to those at West Greenland, suggesting that the salmon were using these two feeding areas in similar ways. There was a higher proportion of European origin salmon in the Irminger Sea (about 80%) than in West Greenland (about 30%). Tagging studies have demonstrated that salmon from the following NASCO reporting areas contribute to the landings at East Greenland: Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, UK (Scotland), UK (England and Wales), UK (Northern Ireland), and the United States. The fishery off the coast of East Greenland is small, with an annual quota of three tonnes (t) set for 2021–2025 fisheries and reported landings averaging only 0.7 t per year since 2008. The low landings are assumed to be a result of the low human population density, which contributes to low fishing effort coupled with low density of Atlantic salmon off the coast of East Greenland.