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Profile updated on 5 February 2025
SCIENTIFIC NAME(s)
Mallotus villosus
SPECIES NAME(s)
Capelin
COMMON NAMES
Capelin in the Iceland/Greenland/Jan Mayen Area
Capelin (Mallotus villosus) in the Iceland East Greenland-Jan Mayen area is considered to be a unique stock (ICES 2022) for assessment purposes. Genetic studies were almost solely focused on large-scale differentiation between populations (Reiss et al. 2009)(Kenchington et al. 2015), while microsatellite data within the Northeast Atlantic were less conclusive in differentiating populations (Præbel et al. 2008).
Capelin is mainly caught from January to March during its spawning migration along the southwestern and northeastern coasts of Iceland mainly by pelagic trawls and purse seines. No bycatch is reported in this fishery. Capelin is a key forage species in the ecoregion and is an important energy transfer within the ecosystem feeding mainly on copepods and euphausiids, and being one of the most important prey for several predators, e.g. cod, haddock, saithe, Greenland halibut, seabirds, and marine mammals (ICES 2024).
The capelin's summer feeding areas have shifted from the Icelandic Waters ecoregion to the Greenland Sea ecoregion. Although this change does not directly impact the winter capelin fishery in Iceland, it could indirectly influence the distribution and growth of predator stocks that other fisheries rely on (ICES 2024).
Management Quality:
≥ 6
10.0
10.0