Biomass and trait biogeography of cephalopods on the European and North American continental shelves

Aim: We evaluate whether the biomass and trait biogeography of cephalopods follow the distribution expected by metabolic theory for ectotherms with rapid growth and high metabolic rate.
Location: Continental shelves of the North Atlantic and Northeast Pacific oceans; global marine ecoregions.
Time Period: 1968–2020.
Major Taxa Studied: Cephalopods and fishes (Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes).
Methods: We map the biomass of cephalopods and their traits across marine shelves using scientific bottom trawl survey data from the North Atlantic and Northeast Pacific. We further map global fisheries catch. We apply statistical methods to evaluate how temperature, zooplankton productivity and depth drive these patterns.
Results: Cephalopods represent a small fraction (1%) of the combined fish and cephalopod biomass on continental shelves. However, their distribution displays a high regional heterogeneity, with some areas being virtually absent of cephalopods and other areas accounting for up to 24% of total biomass. Higher temperatures and zooplankton productivity are associated with increased cephalopod biomass and proportional biomass relative to fish. The largest cephalopods are found in the Northeast Pacific. Growth rates are highest in warmer waters with fastest growth rates found in lower latitudes of the North Atlantic. Cephalopods constitute 5% of the combined fish and cephalopod global fisheries catch. This proportion varies across regions. Higher temperature and zooplankton productivity are associated with increased cephalopod catch relative to fish.
Main Conclusions: Temperature and productivity shape the large‐scale biogeography of cephalopods and their traits on marine shelves. The relations with temperature suggest that future warming could lead to a proliferation of fast‐growing cephalopods in cold and temperate systems, with implications for ecosystem dynamics and fisheries. Despite a relatively low observed biomass, cephalopods hold substantial potential to change ecosystem structure and functioning given their high energy lifestyle.