Svalbard Tracking Project

The Arctic naturally has few endemic fish species but this is changing rapidly due to climate change. The immigration of new species in Svalbard is ongoing and yet there is limited capacity to track the consequences of this change, which is affecting the conservation of endemic Arctic fish while creating new opportunities for commercial and recreational fisheries. We intend to establish an acoustic telemetry infrastructure in Svalbard for tracking climate and environmental changes in the fjords and coastal zones, this project represents a pilot that will 1) advance methods and support initial deployments and 2) undertake tracking of Atlantic cod and Atlantic salmon in Isfjorden to establish first knowledge about the movement of cod and salmon in the fjord.

The receivers will be connected to adjacent projects with open data sharing to SIOS and Ocean Tracking Network for data archiving and sharing. Collaboration between NORCE and UNIS will support education and capacity building for this technology in the Arctic and development of highly qualified personnel (one MSc and one early career researcher at NORCE). The project will be used to leverage additional funding for longer-term and larger-scale tracking research from the Norwegian Research Council, Biodiversa, Horizon Europe, and NordForsk to achieve a broader understanding of ecosystem and environmental change in the Arctic.

Ultimately, the results are envisioned to provide the Governor of Svalbard with data and tools necessary to manage recreational and commercial fisheries in Svalbard and support marine spatial planning efforts (including marine protected areas)