Have you ever wondered how salmonids migrating up a river get tracked? And why this matters? Fish counts help biologists understand whether fish populations are healthy, whether conservation efforts are working, and how ecosystems change over time. Right now, this often means people are spending hours watching video from underwater cameras. The work is […]
Underwater detection of salmonids Read More »
A new publication spotlight by Nickel et al. 2025 called “Seasonal shifts and individual variation in juvenileAtlantic cod diel migration at nearshore nurseries”. doi: 10.3354/meps15056More publications by Nickel are found at ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2327-5230 What is the general topic of the paper? Many fish move around in regular patterns. One common type is called diel migration
Light acts like a natural timekeeper for young Atlantic cod Read More »
In January this year, Guðbjörg Ósk Jónsdóttir along with co-authors Finnur Ingimarsson, Sigurður Sveinn Snorrason, Sarah Elizabeth Steele and Arnar Pálsson. Published a paper in the journal Evolutionary Biology. The paper is titled “Variation of Tooth Traits in Ecologically Specialized and Sympatric Morphs.” Why fish teeth? When one thinks about variation in teeth, one does
Differences in tooth traits between Arctic charr morphs Read More »
Earlier this year Han Xiao along with co-authors Arnar Pálsson, Zophonías O. Jónsson and Sigurður S. Snorrason published a paper in the journal Molecular Ecology. In this paper they explored genetic and shape differences between Arctic charr morphs in two neighbouring lakes in Iceland. They collected different Arctic charr morphs from lake Þingvallavatn and lake
Genetic and Shape Differences of Arctic Charr Morphs in Connected Lakes Read More »
This past summer, Ingibjörg G. Jónsdóttir at the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, along with her co-authors Jón Sólmundsson, Peter J. Wright, William Butler, and Pamela Woods, published a paper in the ICES Journal of Marine Science. The study, titled ‘Key drivers and spatio-temporal variation in the reproductive potential of Icelandic cod’, investigates the roles
Bottom trawling is harmful to life on the ocean floor. Many people agree with this. But we still need to learn more about how and why it causes damage. Mason Kenny wanted to better understand the impact of bottom trawling gear on the seafloor. During his Master’s in Environmental and Natural Resources at The
Bottom trawling gear and its impact on the seafloor Read More »
What are fish nursery grounds? Nursery grounds are places where young fish find food, favourable temperature and protection from predators during their early life stages. Different species of fish, including Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and saithe (Pollachius virens) juveniles, settle in nearshore areas at different times and depths, depending for example on the
What swims between the algae of the rocky intertidal zone? You can find a very lively ecosystem in the rocky intertidal zones along Iceland‘s coastlines. One highly abundant species using this habitat is the brown algae Ascophyllum nodosum, also commonly known as knotted wrack in English and Klóþang in Icelandic. This species is harvested for
What swims between the algae of the rocky intertidal zone? Read More »
Nursery grounds are habitats mainly used by juvenile (baby) fish. As the name suggests these habitats are like nurseries for fish. Nursery grounds are very important for the fish species using them. Since they provide protection and food for the young. Therefore, knowing where they are and how they are holding up is important.
Where are the baby Brown trout and Arctic charr? Read More »
Have you ever wondered where the flounder found in Iceland has come from? It is well known that alien European flounder has been officially documented in Icelandic waters in 1999. For a long time, the question remained where the flounder came from. Over the years, people have debated whether the flounder came from the Faroe
The tale of the founder flounder Read More »