A preliminary estimate of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) biomass in West Greenland offshore waters (NAFO Subarea 1) for 2006 and recent changes in the spatial overlap with northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis)

A comparative study of Atlantic cod catches at West Greenland from the German ground fish survey and the Greenland survey for shrimp and fish was carried out. The analysis was restricted to years with sufficient area coverage and regions included in both surveys. A close correlation between the two surveys estimates of cod biomass was found (r² = 0.91, P <0.001). Linear regression analysis using data from 14 years revealed that the biomass index of Atlantic cod biomass estimated from the Greenland survey for 2006 would correspond to 22 667 tons in the German survey. This indicates that the biomass of Atlantic cod is still low compared to the 1980s, despite its moderate increase in the most recent years. Furthermore, the geographical distribution of Atlantic cod have become a pronounced southern one, and the impact of Atlantic cod on Northern shrimp through predation appears currently to be small considering the low spatial overlap between the two species.