The Norwegians have pulled off a major diplomatic breakthrough by setting up a joint three-year research programme, on benthos in the Barents Sea, with Russian scientists.
The collaboration will give Norwegian researchers access to Russian and Soviet data going back to 1926.
Officials at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in Bergen, writes Peter O’Neill, said the project will see an August-September joint ecosystem cruise. The Russian partners known as PINRO will start experimental cage studies this month. PINRO divers will carry out a video and still camera survey of bottom fauna.
PINRO in English stands for the Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography. Based in Murmansk, it has just celebrated its 85th anniversary in March. Set up by Lenin after the Revolution, the institute’s name recalls the outstanding work of Russian marine scientist N.M. Knipovich who was born in 1862.
Western researchers in the defence, marine and hydrocarbon sector have long known that the Soviets had a major maritime mapping and analysis service – for submarines operating in Polar regions as well as fish and oil. In fact, the various western security services, egged on by the western oil companies, were always trying to find out what data the Soviets were collating.
In the past World Fishing reported on the hunt by Scandinavian patrol vessels for Soviet subs along their coastlines. Now it will hear about joint team work on the king crab, for example, and its impact on hard and soft bottom communities in selected areas along the very same Norwegian and Russian coastlines.
IMR said the project would look at echinoderms, such as profitable sea cucumbers, starfish and sea urchins. It will study the possible impact of bottom trawling, climate changes, invasion species and gas and oil activities on bottom habitats. It will also try to improve the identification of benthic species in the stomach content of cod and haddock, IMR said.
(TW : EEC)
