Retrieving tracking data in Isfjorden

The fjords of Svalbard are changing at an alarming rate in the face of climate change. Climate change is strengthening the West Svalbard Current, increasing the input of warm, salty water to the western fjords of Svalbard. The consequences include ice cover, increasing the share of Atlantic species, and shifting the distribution of Barents Sea fisheries northward. Each individual change can yield a cumulative effect that ultimately results in a tipping point. Our current knowledge about the aquatic ecosystem responses to these alterations is limited. In Isfjorden NORCE, in collaboration with Aquaplan NIVA, have established an acoustic telemetry array to study the behavior and responses of fish to climate changes and anthropogenic stressors. Aquatic animals cannot be tracked using traditional GPS methodology that is used on land because the signal from satellites does not protrude through water therefore acoustic telemetry using acoustic signals is the only viable option to track animals. In this project we ask for resources to help maintain an acoustic telemetry infrastructure in Isfjorden that are currently being used to track Salmon, Arctic charr, pink salmon and cod.