The case in summary: – The herring have never before spawned as far north as this year. Ready-to-spawn herring stand north of Senja. – Most of the herring are outside Lofoten and Vesterålen. – The Institute of Marine Research reports that over the past three years, the herring have shifted their spawning to increasingly northern waters. – The change in the spawning migration started in 2020, with the large year class from 2016 introducing a new trend. – The Institute of Marine Research have so far found no connections between climate change and the change in herring spawning. – It is too early to say whether the herring has changed its migration pattern and spawning area for good. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. It is the Institute of Marine Research that is out on the hunt for the herring, what has been called “the silver of the sea”. Enormous quantities of herring have been caught along the Norwegian coast for hundreds of years and helped make Norway one of the world’s largest fishing nations. Something is about to happen. In the last three years, the herring have spawned in ever more northerly waters. While the herring used to have large spawning areas on Mørebankane, in recent years the herring has not come further south than Røst in Lofoten. – It may seem as if the spawning migration is about to change. And this is actually quite sensational. We do not have data from fisheries or voyages that show that this has happened before, says marine researcher Are Salthaug. Herring are now west of Røst, north of Lofoten, Vesterålen and Senja and are ready to spawn. Friday 23 February 2024: Researchers and fishermen are eagerly watching sonar and trawl sonars while Eros tries to hit a small school of herring with the pelagic trawl. The shoal eventually entered the trawl so that biological samples could be taken of the herring and some capelin in the catch. From left: Hallgeir Tarberg (helmsman on Eros), Pål-Cato Reite (skipper on Eros), Are Salthaug (pilot, HI) and Lage Drivenes (instrument manager, HI). Photo: Christine Djønne / Havforskingsinstituttet The change started in 2020 According to Salthaug, the change started in 2020. Then the large year class from 2016 introduced a new trend. This herring was then four years old and ready for its first spawning. – The 2016 class seems to have a role in this change. This year class “refuses” to swim south to the traditional spawning grounds. And perhaps the rest of the herring have been involved in the drag? Even the elderly, asks Salthaug. Christine Djønne (left) and Inger Henriksen from the Institute of Marine Research at the sorting table in the laboratory on board “Eros”. Outside Senja, they have found a lot of herring ready to spawn. Photo: Are Salthaug / Institute of Marine Research Drops hunting for roe on Ellingsøya in Ålesund, the coastal seine vessel MS “Storegg” moors. “Storeegg” hunts both herring, mackerel and capelin with a seine net. But in recent years it has not been relevant to go after the ready-to-spawn herring. When the herring stop far north, the herring should spawn in waters that are not so favorable for this part of the coastal fleet. – In recent years, we have collected our share of the quota in fjords in the north of the country, such as Altafjorden and Kvænangen. We fish Norwegian spring-spawning herring both in autumn and in January. For us, this is the best solution, says Kay Erik Stokke at MS “Storegg”. Here, “Storegg” is engaged in herring fishing last autumn. Photo: Mats K Blindheim / Storegg The fact that the herring stay far north in connection with spawning is not at all an advantage for “Storegg”. – There are several advantages to being able to fish at Buagrunnen on the Romsdal coast, not least because we are then close to many skilled fish buyers. We would love to fish here in the south. The size of the quota and also the price difference for roe herring are important factors, says Stokke. This is in addition to the fact that the spawning area outside Mørekysten is less exposed to weather, wind and currents than in the current spawning areas in the north. He believes that the change in migration patterns is based on natural variations. – The herring has historically changed its migration pattern and spawning has for long periods gone further south, and in recent years the herring has chosen to spawn further north, says Stokke. While the herring are getting ready to spawn, “Storegg” is at home on Ellingsøya in Ålesund and is getting ready for the coastal fleet’s fishing for capelin. During the voyage, the vessel “Eros” uses a pelagic trawl, a floating trawl adapted to trawling for herring. Together with the use of sonar, they examine the quantity, age composition and size of the herring. Photo: Are Salthaug / Marine Research Institute Climate Change According to the Norwegian Environment Agency, the Norwegian Sea is becoming both warmer and more acidic. For 75 years, the measuring station M (Mike) far out in the Norwegian Sea has measured the temperature. Since the 1980s, the temperature of deep water has risen by 0.2 degrees. This is shown by measurements from 2022. The same measurements show that the water has become more acidic. But the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research has so far not concluded that there are changes in the environment that have led to the herring spawning further north than before. – We have looked at some climate data and access to plankton, but we have not seen any connections yet. In other words, there do not appear to be any sudden changes in the environment that correspond to the herring “suddenly” starting to spawn further north around 2021. But it cannot of course be ruled out that there are such connections, says Are Salthaug. However, a research project in 2019 indicated that higher temperatures in the sea could have consequences for the food that the herring depend on. The search began at Stad Havforskarane began the search for herring on the traditional herring fields at Stad. There was not a herring to be found. With the fishing vessels “Eros” and “Vendla”, the ship passed the traditional spawning grounds at Svinøy and Runde, further past Buagrunnen and Træna. First at 60 nautical miles west-southwest of Røst they spawn on herring ready to spawn. Along Lofoten, the herring are mostly out along the edge of the eggs and at Vesterålen there are also herring inside the banks. – It is very special that the spawning population no longer seems to be moving south of Røstbanken, says Are Salthaug. This is how the fishing vessel “Eros” moved in the search for herring ready to spawn. The vessel is chartered by Havforskingsväkeret. Illustration: Screenshot / Marine Traffic – The herring is capricious According to the Institute of Marine Research, it is too early to say whether the herring has changed its migration pattern and spawning area for good. Today, large parts of the Norwegian spring-spawning herring overwinter in the area near Kvænangen. No one knows what will happen if the herring spends the winter in other areas. – The distance to Mørebankane will be great if the herring is to migrate entirely from the north-eastern parts of the Norwegian Sea. But a lot can happen if the herring spends the winter elsewhere. Herring is known to be capricious. Suddenly, a new, strong year class can enter the spawning population. If this swims further south, it may well happen that it drags other year classes with it on the way south again, says the marine researcher to news.
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Herring spawn a record far north between Røst and Senja reports the Norwegian Marine Research Institute – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
