Ecological features and recent trends in the physical environment, plankton, fish stocks, and seabirds in the Faroe Shelf ecosystem

The Faroe shelf water is relatively well separated from the offshore water by a persistent tidal front, which surrounds the islands. The shelf water has neritic phyto- and zooplankton communities, which to a large extent are separated from the surrounding offshore area, although receiving variable influence from the offshore environment. The shelf production of plankton is the basis for production in higher trophic levels within the ecosystem. The plankton production is interannually variable and in general monitoring data show simultaneous fluctuations at several trophic levels in the ecosystem, including calculated new primary production, fish recruitment, growth and landings, and seabird recruitment and growth. The paper gives an overview of trophic interactions within the Faroe shelf ecosystem and variability in production in the various trophic levels. The production and harvesting potential of the ecosystem is discussed.