The circumpolar impacts of climate change and anthropogenic stressors on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and its ecosystem

TY - JOUR

T1 - The circumpolar impacts of climate change and anthropogenic stressors on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and its ecosystem

AU - Geoffroy, Maxime

AU - Bouchard, Caroline

AU - Flores, Hauke

AU - Robert, Dominique

AU - Gjøsæter, Harald

AU - Hoover, Carie

AU - Hop, Haakon

AU - Hussey, Nigel E.

AU - Nahrgang, Jasmine

AU - Steiner, Nadja

AU - Bender, Morgan

AU - Berge, Jørgen

AU - Castellani, Giulia

AU - Chernova, Natalia

AU - Copeman, Louise

AU - David, Carmen L.

AU - Deary, Alison

AU - Divoky, George

AU - Dolgov, Andrey V.

AU - Duffy-Anderson, Janet

AU - Dupont, Nicolas

AU - Durant, Joël M.

AU - Elliott, Kyle

AU - Gauthier, Stéphane

AU - Goldstein, Esther D.

AU - Gradinger, Rolf

AU - Hedges, Kevin

AU - Herbig, Jennifer

AU - Laurel, Ben

AU - Loseto, Lisa

AU - Maes, Sarah

AU - Mark, Felix C.

AU - Mosbech, Anders

AU - Pedro, Sara

AU - Pettitt-Wade, Harri

AU - Prokopchuk, Irina

AU - Renaud, Paul E.

AU - Schembri, Sarah

AU - Vestfals, Cathleen

AU - Walkusz, Wojciech

N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

PY - 2023/8

Y1 - 2023/8

N2 - Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) is the most abundant forage fish in the Arctic Ocean. Here we review Arctic cod habitats, distribution, ecology, and physiology to assess how climate change and other anthropogenic stressors are affecting this key species. This review identifies vulnerabilities for different life stages across the entire distribution range of Arctic cod. We explore the impact of environmental (abiotic and biotic) and anthropogenic stressors on Arctic cod with a regional perspective in a scenario up to the year 2050 and identify knowledge gaps constraining predictions. Epipelagic eggs and larvae are more vulnerable to climate change and stressors than adults. Increased water temperatures, sea-ice decline, altered freshwater input, acidification, changing prey field, increased interspecific competition, new predators, and pollution are the principal stressors that will affect Arctic cod populations. Detrimental effects are likely to be greater in regions characterized by the advection of warmer Atlantic and Pacific waters. In contrast, Arctic cod may benefit from ocean warming in colder areas of the High Arctic. The risk from fisheries is moderate and primarily limited to bycatch. Overall, a decrease in suitable habitat and an associated decline in total Arctic cod biomass are predicted. In most Arctic seas, the relative abundance of Arctic cod within the fish community will likely fluctuate in accordance with cold and warm periods. A reduced abundance of Arctic cod will negatively affect the abundance, distribution, and physiological condition of certain predators, whereas some predators will successfully adapt to a more boreal diet. Regional management measures that recognize the critical role of Arctic cod are required to ensure that increased anthropogenic activities do not exacerbate the impacts of climate change on Arctic marine ecosystems. Ultimately, the mitigation of habitat loss for Arctic cod will only be achieved through a global reduction in carbon emissions.

AB - Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) is the most abundant forage fish in the Arctic Ocean. Here we review Arctic cod habitats, distribution, ecology, and physiology to assess how climate change and other anthropogenic stressors are affecting this key species. This review identifies vulnerabilities for different life stages across the entire distribution range of Arctic cod. We explore the impact of environmental (abiotic and biotic) and anthropogenic stressors on Arctic cod with a regional perspective in a scenario up to the year 2050 and identify knowledge gaps constraining predictions. Epipelagic eggs and larvae are more vulnerable to climate change and stressors than adults. Increased water temperatures, sea-ice decline, altered freshwater input, acidification, changing prey field, increased interspecific competition, new predators, and pollution are the principal stressors that will affect Arctic cod populations. Detrimental effects are likely to be greater in regions characterized by the advection of warmer Atlantic and Pacific waters. In contrast, Arctic cod may benefit from ocean warming in colder areas of the High Arctic. The risk from fisheries is moderate and primarily limited to bycatch. Overall, a decrease in suitable habitat and an associated decline in total Arctic cod biomass are predicted. In most Arctic seas, the relative abundance of Arctic cod within the fish community will likely fluctuate in accordance with cold and warm periods. A reduced abundance of Arctic cod will negatively affect the abundance, distribution, and physiological condition of certain predators, whereas some predators will successfully adapt to a more boreal diet. Regional management measures that recognize the critical role of Arctic cod are required to ensure that increased anthropogenic activities do not exacerbate the impacts of climate change on Arctic marine ecosystems. Ultimately, the mitigation of habitat loss for Arctic cod will only be achieved through a global reduction in carbon emissions.

KW - Arctic cod

KW - Borealization

KW - Circumpolar

KW - Climate change

KW - Polar cod

KW - Risks

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85168905365&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1525/elementa.2022.00097

DO - 10.1525/elementa.2022.00097

M3 - Review

AN - SCOPUS:85168905365

SN - 2325-1026

VL - 11

JO - Elementa

JF - Elementa

IS - 1

M1 - 00097

ER -