Ecosystem structure and resilience—A comparison between the Norwegian and the Barents Sea

Abundance and biomass of the most important fish species inhabited the Barents and Norwegian Sea ecosystems have shown considerable fluctuations over the last decades. These fluctuations connected with fishing pressure resulted in the trophic structure alterations of the ecosystems. Resilience and other theoretical concepts (top-down, wasp-waste and bottom-up control, trophic cascades) were viewed to examine different response of the Norwegian and Barents Sea ecosystems on disturbing forces. Differences in the trophic structure and functioning of Barents and Norwegian Sea ecosystems as well as factors that might influence the resilience of the marine ecosystems, including climatic fluctuation, variations in prey and predator species abundance, alterations in their regular migrations, and fishing exploitation were also considered. The trophic chain lengths in the deep Norwegian Sea are shorter, and energy transfer occurs mainly through the pelagic fish/invertebrates communities. The shallow Barents Sea is characterized by longer trophic chains, providing more energy flow into their benthic assemblages. The trophic mechanisms observed in the Norwegian Sea food webs dominated by the top-down control, i.e. the past removal of Norwegian Spring spawning followed by zooplankton development and intrusion of blue whiting and mackerel into the area. The wasp-waist response is shown to be the most pronounced effect in the Barents Sea, related to the position of capelin in the ecosystem; large fluctuations in the capelin abundance have been strengthened by intensive fishery. Closer links between ecological and fisheries sciences are needed to elaborate and test various food webs and multispecies models available.     

Trophic relations of capelin Mallotus villosus and polar cod Boreogadus saida in the Barents Sea as a factor of impact on the ecosystem

The purpose of the study is to assess the role of trophic relations of the dominant pelagic fishes capelin and polar cod in the Barents Sea with regard to distribution and accessibility as prey for the Atlantic cod in warm years (2004–2005). Unlike in the previous period, during these warm years a dramatic increase of the polar cod population resulted in a northwards expansion of the feeding grounds where overlapping of polar cod and capelin concentrations was observed. This caused an increased competition for copepods, which are the main food item for young fish. In the areas dominated by polar cod the shortage of copepods forced immature capelin to switch to the chaetognath Sagitta, which affected their fatness negatively.During the warm years the feeding grounds of Atlantic cod also expanded, to a large degree caused by the shortage of their main food, the capelin. In 2004–2005 the cod formed feeding concentrations in the north and northeast Barents Sea where they fed on the capelin. In this area the consumption of polar cod by cod increased, and in some local areas the polar cod practically replaced the capelin in the diet of cod. In general polar cod in the diet of Atlantic cod were more important in the northern than in the southern part of the Barents Sea. The fatness of cod was extremely low during the whole spring–summer period (until August), and after the feeding period the fatness index of the Atlantic cod became lower than the average long-term autumn value.     

Comparison of the response of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the high-latitude regions of the North Atlantic during the warm periods of the 1920s–1960s and the 1990s–2000s

Concern about future anthropogenic warming has lead to demands for information on what might happen to fish and fisheries under various climate-change scenarios. One suggestion has been to use past events as a proxy for what will happen in the future. In this paper a comparison between the responses of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) to two major warm periods in the North Atlantic during the 20th century is carried out to determine how reliable the past might be as a predictor of the future. The first warm period began during the 1920s, remained relatively warm through the 1960s, and was limited primarily to the northern regions (>60°N). The second warm period, which again covered the northern regions but also extended farther south (30°N), began in the 1990s and has continued into the present century. During the earlier warm period, the most northern of the cod stocks (West Greenland, Icelandic, and Northeast Arctic cod in the Barents Sea) increased in abundance, individual growth was high, recruitment was strong, and their distribution spread northward. Available plankton data suggest that these cod responses were driven by bottom-up processes. Fishing pressure increased during this period of high cod abundance and the northern cod stocks began to decline, as early as the 1950s in the Barents Sea but during the 1960s elsewhere. Individual growth declined as temperatures cooled and the cod distributions retracted southward. During the warming in the 1990s, the spawning stock biomass of cod in the Barents Sea again increased, recruitment rose, and the stock spread northward, but the individual growth did not improve significantly. Cod off West Greenland also have shown signs of improving recruitment and increasing biomass, albeit they are still very low in comparison to the earlier warming period. The abundance of Icelandic cod, on the other hand, has remained low through the recent warm period and spawning stock biomass and total biomass are at levels near the lowest on record. The different responses of cod to the two warm events, in particular the reduced cod production during the recent warm period, are attributed to the effects of intense fishing pressure and possibly related ecosystem changes. The implications of the results of the comparisons on the development of cod scenarios under future climate change are addressed.     

Honey, I cooled the cods: Modelling the effect of temperature on the structure of Boreal/Arctic fish ecosystems

Historically colder regions of the North Atlantic had fisheries dominated by only a few fish species; principally cod and capelin. Possible population dynamic mechanisms that lead to such dominance are investigated by considering how a charmingly simple published multispecies model of the North Sea would react if the system operated at a lower temperature. The existing model equations were modified to describe temperature effects on growth, fecundity and recruitment and the model was rerun based on typical temperatures for the North Sea and a colder system. The results suggest that total fish biomass in the colder system increases but the community is more vulnerable to a given rate of fishing mortality. In the colder system, within species density dependence is reduced but relative predation rates are higher. Consequently, intermediate-sized species are vulnerable to relatively high levels of predation throughout their life history and tend to be excluded, leading to a system dominated by small and large species. The model helps to explain how temperature may govern coexistence and competitive exclusion in fish communities and accounts for the observed dominance of small and large species in Boreal/Arctic ecosystems.     

The influence of long tides on ecosystem dynamics in the Barents Sea

The Barents Sea ecosystem has been associated with large biomass fluctuations. If there is a hidden deterministic process behind the Barents Sea ecosystem, we may forecast the biomass in order to control it. This presentation concludes, for the first time, investigations of a long data series from North Atlantic water and the Barents Sea ecosystem. The analysis is based on a wavelet spectrum analysis from the data series of annual mean Atlantic sea level, North Atlantic water temperature, the Kola section water temperature, and species from the Barents Sea ecosystem.The investigation has identified dominant fluctuations correlated with the 9.3-yr phase tide, the 18.6-yr amplitude tide, and a 74-yr superharmonic cycle in the North Atlantic water, Barents Sea water, and Arctic data series. The correlation between the tidal cycles and dominant Barents Sea ecosystem cycles is estimated to be R=0.6 or better. The long-term mean fluctuations correlate with the 74-yr superharmonic cycle. The wavelets analysis shows that the long-term 74-yr cycle may introduce a phase reversal in the identified 18-yr periods of temperature and salinity. The present analysis suggests that forced vertical and horizontal nodal tides influence the ocean's thermohaline circulation, and that they behave as a coupled non-linear oscillation system.The Barents Sea ecosystem analysis shows that the biomass life cycle and the long-term fluctuations correlate better than R=0.5 to the lunar nodal tide spectrum. Barents Sea capelin has a life cycle related to a third harmonic of the 9.3-yr tide. The life cycles of shrimp, cod, herring, and haddock are related to a third harmonic of the 18.6-yr tide. Biomass growth was synchronized to the lunar nodal tide. The biomass growth of zooplankton and shrimp correlates with the current aspect of lunar nodal tidal inflow to the Barents Sea. The long-term biomass fluctuation of cod and herring is correlated with a cycle period of about 3×18.6=55.8 yr. This analysis suggests that we may understand the Barents Sea ecosystem dynamic as a free-coupled oscillating system to the forced lunar nodal tides. This free-coupled oscillating system has a resonance related to the oscillating long tides and the third harmonic and superharmonic cycles.     

Can cod farming affect cod fishing? A system evaluation of sustainability

The cod resources in the Barents Sea constitute the most important fisheries in Norway. In order to reduce resource allocation conflicts among different gear and vessel groups and to ensure profit for all participants throughout the value chain, the sector is thoroughly organized. The institutions established to ensure long-term sustainability, have been developed within the framework of a joint Norwegian–Russian fisheries management regime. However, due to a very high fishing mortality, the cod stock is now under severe pressure. In addition, a major part of the cod fisheries is highly seasonal and unable to be a stable supplier to neither the land-based industry nor demanding international markets. In parallel, cod farming is expected to become a new emerging industry, with potential to copy the success of farmed Atlantic salmon. Many actors within the cod fisheries fear the future competition from the growing cod farming sector. With reference to important attributes that characterize the cod fisheries and cod farming, this paper discusses how a future farming industry may affect the traditional cod fisheries. Moreover, we discuss how the fisheries may be forced to organize in the future to encounter the expected competition from cod farming.     

Food webs and carbon flux in the Barents Sea

Within the framework of the physical forcing, we describe and quantify the key ecosystem components and basic food web structure of the Barents Sea. Emphasis is given to the energy flow through the ecosystem from an end-to-end perspective, i.e. from bacteria, through phytoplankton and zooplankton to fish, mammals and birds. Primary production in the Barents is on average 93 g C m⁻² y⁻¹, but interannually highly variable (±19%), responding to climate variability and change (e.g. variations in Atlantic Water inflow, the position of the ice edge and low-pressure pathways). The traditional focus upon large phytoplankton cells in polar regions seems less adequate in the Barents, as the cell carbon in the pelagic is most often dominated by small cells that are entangled in an efficient microbial loop that appears to be well coupled to the grazing food web. Primary production in the ice-covered waters of the Barents is clearly dominated by planktonic algae and the supply of ice biota by local production or advection is small. The pelagic–benthic coupling is strong, in particular in the marginal ice zone. In total 80% of the harvestable production is channelled through the deep-water communities and benthos. 19% of the harvestable production is grazed by the dominating copepods Calanus finmarchicus and C. glacialis in Atlantic or Arctic Water, respectively. These two species, in addition to capelin (Mallotus villosus) and herring (Clupea harengus), are the keystone organisms in the Barents that create the basis for the rich assemblage of higher trophic level organisms, facilitating one of the worlds largest fisheries (capelin, cod, shrimps, seals and whales). Less than 1% of the harvestable production is channelled through the most dominating higher trophic levels such as cod, harp seals, minke whales and sea birds. Atlantic cod, seals, whales, birds and man compete for harvestable energy with similar shares. Climate variability and change, differences in recruitment, variable resource availability, harvesting restrictions and management schemes will influence the resource exploitation between these competitors, that basically depend upon the efficient energy transfer from primary production to highly successful, lipid-rich zooplankton and pelagic fishes.     

An overview of the ecosystems of the Barents and Norwegian Seas and their response to climate variability

The principal features of the marine ecosystems in the Barents and Norwegian Seas and some of their responses to climate variations are described. The physical oceanography is dominated by the influx of warm, high-salinity Atlantic Waters from the south and cold, low-salinity waters from the Arctic. Seasonal ice forms in the Barents Sea with maximum coverage typically in March–April. The total mean annual primary production rates are similar in the Barents and Norwegian Seas (80–90 g C m⁻²), although in the Barents, the production is higher in the Atlantic than in the ice covered Arctic Waters. The zooplankton is dominated by Calanus species, C. finmarchicus in the Atlantic Waters of the Norwegian and Barents Seas, and C. glacialis in the Arctic Waters of the Barents Sea. The fish species in the Norwegian Sea are mostly pelagics such as herring (Clupea harengus) and blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou), while in the Barents Sea there are both pelagics (capelin (Mallotus villosus Müller), herring, and polar cod (Boreogadus saida Lepechin)) and demersals (cod (Gadus morhua L.) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)). The latter two species spawn in the Norwegian Sea along the slope edge (haddock) or along the coast (cod) and drift into the Barents Sea. Marine mammals and seabirds, although comprising only a relatively small percentage of the biomass and production in the region, play an important role as consumers of zooplankton and small fish. While top-down control by predators certainly is significant within the two regions, there is also ample evidence of bottom-up control. Climate variability influences the distribution of several fish species, such as cod, herring and blue whiting, with northward shifts during extended warm periods and southward movements during cool periods. Climate-driven increases in primary and secondary production also lead to increased fish production through higher abundance and improved growth rates.     

Climate variability and its effects on major fisheries in Korea

Understanding in climate effects on marine ecosystem is essential to utilize, predict, and conserve marine living resources in the 21s t century. In this review paper, we summariz ed t h e past history and current status of Korean fisheries as well as the changes in climate and oceanographic phenomena since the 1960s. Ocean ecosystems in Korean waters can be divided into three, based on the marine commercial fish catches; the demersal ecosystem in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, the pelagic ecosystem in the Tsushima Warm Current from the East China Sea to the East/Japan Sea, and the demersal ecosystem in the northern part of the East/Japan Sea. Through the interdisciplinary retrospective analysis using available fisheries, oceanographic, and meteorological information in three important fish communities, the trend patterns in major commercial catches and the relationship between climate/ environmental variability and responses of fish populations were identified. Much evidence revealed that marine ecosystems, including the fish community in Korean waters, has been seriously affected by oceanographic changes, and each species has responded differently. In general, species diversity is lessening, and mean trophic level of each ecosystem has decreased during the last 3~4 decades. Future changes in fisheries due to global warming are also considered for major fisheries and aquaculture in Korean waters.     

Changes in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence ecosystem estimated by inverse modelling: Evidence of a fishery-induced regime shift?

Mass-balance models have been constructed using inverse methodology for the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence for the mid-1980s, the mid-1990s, and the early 2000s to describe ecosystem structure, trophic group interactions, and the effects of fishing and predation on the ecosystem for each time period. Our analyses indicate that the ecosystem structure shifted dramatically from one previously dominated by demersal (cod, redfish) and small-bodied forage (e.g., capelin, mackerel, herring, shrimp) species to one now dominated by small-bodied forage species. Overfishing removed a functional group in the late 1980s, large piscivorous fish (primarily cod and redfish), which has not recovered 14 years after the cessation of heavy fishing. This has left only marine mammals as top predators during the mid-1990s, and marine mammals and small Greenland halibut during the early 2000s. Predation by marine mammals on fish increased from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s while predation by large fish on fish decreased. Capelin and shrimp, the main prey in each period, showed an increase in biomass over the three periods. A switch in the main predators of capelin from cod to marine mammals occurred, while Greenland halibut progressively replaced cod as shrimp predators. Overfishing influenced community structure directly through preferential removal of larger-bodied fishes and indirectly through predation release because larger-bodied fishes exerted top-down control upon other community species or competed with other species for the same prey. Our modelling estimates showed that a change in predation structure or flows at the top of the trophic system led to changes in predation at all lower trophic levels in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. These changes represent a case of fishery-induced regime shift.     

Unsuitability of TAC management within an ecosystem approach to fisheries: An ecological perspective

Fisheries management in European waters is gradually moving from a single-species perspective towards a more holistic ecosystem approach to management (EAM), acknowledging the need to take all ecosystem components into account. Prerequisite within an EAM is the need for management processes that directly influence the ecological effects of fishing, such as the mortality of target and non-target species. Up until recently, placing limits on the quantities of fish that can be landed, through the imposition of annual total allowable catches (TACs) for the target species, has been the principal management mechanism employed. However, pressure on non-target components of marine ecosystems is more closely linked to prevailing levels of fishing activity, so only if TACs are closely related to subsequent fishing effort will TAC management serve to control the broader ecosystem impacts of fishing. We show that in the mixed fisheries that characterise the North Sea, the linkage between variation in TAC and the resulting fishing effort is in fact generally weak. Reliance solely on TACs to regulate fishing activity is therefore unlikely to mitigate the impacts of fishing on non-target species. Consequently, we conclude that the relationship between TACs and effort is insufficient for TACs to be used as the principal management tool within an EAM. The implications, and some alternatives, for fisheries management are discussed.     

Trophic structure of the Barents Sea fish assemblage with special reference to the cod stock recoverability

The species composition and trophic structure of the Barents Sea fish assemblage is analysed based on data from research survey trawls and diet analyses of various species. Atlantic cod was the dominant fish species encountered, accounting for more than 55% by abundance or biomass. Only five fish species (long rough dab, thorny skate, Greenland halibut, deepwater redfish and saithe) were sufficiently abundant to be considered as possible food competitors with cod in the Barents Sea. However, possible trophic competition is not high, due to low spatial and temporal overlap between cod and these other species. Analyses of fish assemblages and trophic structures of the Barents Sea and other areas (North Sea, Western Greenland, Newfoundland-Labrador shelf) suggest that Barents Sea cod is the only cod stock for which the ability to recover may not be restricted by trophic relations among fishes, due to a lack of other abundant predatory species and low potential for competition caused by spatial-temporal changes.     

A note on the economics of Swedish Baltic Sea fisheries

The cod stocks in the Baltic Sea are important not only for fisheries but for the entire ecosystem utilized by numerous stakeholders around the coast. All such activities have economic values. In this note the economics of the Swedish Baltic Sea cod fishery is estimated in relation to the sector's interaction with other users of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. The results show a negative resource rent for the fishery, € −5 million without public expenses (subsidies and administrative costs), and € −13 million including public expenses. The interactions between the fisheries and tourism, seal population, carbon dioxide emissions, recreational fishing, and discards are discussed, and when monetary estimates are available these are related to the estimated resource rent.     

Winter distribution of euphausiids (Euphausiacea) in the Barents Sea (2000–2005)

The purpose of the study is to analyze the state of the Barents Sea euphausiids populations in the warm period (2000–2005) based on the study of their structure dynamics and distribution under the influence of abiotic and biotic factors. For estimation of their aggregations in the bottom layer, the traditional method was used with the help of the modified egg net (0.2 m² opening area, 564 μm mesh size). The net is used for collecting euphausiids in the autumn–winter period when their activity is reduced, which results in high-catch efficiency. The findings confirmed the major formation patterns of the euphausiids species composition associated with climate change in the Arctic basin. As before, in the warm years, one can see a clear-cut differentiation of space distribution of the dominant euphausiids Thysanoessa genus with localization of the more thermophilic Thysanoessa inermis in the north-west Barents Sea and Thysanoessa raschii in the east. The major euphausiids aggregations are formed of these species. In 2004, the first data of euphausiids distribution in the northern Barents Sea (77–79°N) were obtained, and demonstrated extremely high concentrations of T. inermis in this area, with the biomass as high as 1.7–2.4 g m⁻² in terms of dry weight. These data have improved our knowledge of the distribution and euphausiids abundance during periods of elevated sea-water temperatures in the Barents Sea. The oceanic Atlantic species were found to increase in abundance due to elevated advection to the Barents Sea during the study period. Thus, after nearly a 30-year-long absence of the moderate subtropical Nematoscelis megalops in the Barents Sea, they were found again in 2003–2005. However in comparison with 1960, the north-east border of its distribution considerably shifted to 73°50′N 50°22′E. The portion of Meganyctiphanes norvegica also varied considerably—from 10% to 20% of the total euphausiids population in the warm 1950s–1960s almost to complete disappearing in 1970–1990s. The peak of this species’ occurrence (18–26%) took place in the beginning of warm period (1999–2000) after a succession of cold years. The subsequent reduction of the relative abundance of M. norvegica to 7% might have been mostly caused by fish predation during a period of low population densities of capelin. This high predation pressure may therefore have been mediated both by other pelagic fishes (i.e. herring, blue whiting, polar cod) but also by demersal fishes such as cod and haddock. Similar sharp fluctuations in the capelin stock (the major consumer of euphausiids) created marked perturbations in the food web in the Barents Sea in the middle 1980s and the early 1990s.     

A spatio-temporal ecosystem model to simulate fishing management plans: A case of study in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia)

The Gulf of Gabes located in southern Tunisia is one of the most productive ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite its ecological importance, it is subject to high fishing pressure affecting the different components of the ecosystem. Given the multispecies, multigear nature of the fishery, there is a need to manage trade-offs between environmental and economic objectives. In this study, an Ecospace model was developed based on the previously constructed Ecopath model of the Gulf of Gabes and calibrated for the period 1995–2008 to investigate the response of the ecosystem to a set of alternative spatial management scenarios. These scenarios were derived from the current fishery regulation owing the important interest expressed by local fishery managers to assess new management measures. The results showed for each management scenario how bottom trawling and coastal fishing impact the different trophic groups and the complexity of interaction between these two fishing activities. Furthermore, spatially explicit simulations were performed to identify regions where the management measures are effective. Results suggested that for some trophic groups, these regions are well-defined which would be interesting to propose more accurate spatial measures. Finally, several indicators were calculated to evaluate the proposed management plans and provide managers with a straightforward set of decision rules to describe the potential trade-offs and fulfill both fisheries and conservation management objectives in the context of an ecosystem approach. The decision rules were based on observed trends to reduce uncertainty relative to the model complexity and provide consistent advice to decision-makers.     

Identifying drivers for fishing pressure. A multidisciplinary study of trawl and sea snail fisheries in Samsun,Black Sea coast of Turkey

This study aims to investigate and model driving forces that lead to increased fishing pressure and an altered state of the environment in the coastal areas near Samsun on the Turkish Black Sea coast. We have applied a modified DPSIR model to structure our investigation and analysis and have investigated the drivers that generate fishing pressure in the Samsun fisheries. The overall health of the ecosystem is declining, and there is a consistent trend of deterioration in the condition of the three major species targeted by the trawl fisheries. Although introduced invasive species have brought significant changes to the Black Sea, it is clear that the state of the environment is significantly and negatively affected by the pressure exerted by fisheries. Fishing pressure has to a certain extent been redirected to pelagic trawling as bottom trawling has become less profitable and a rise in catch capacity has levelled off. This reduction is, however, offset by an increase in illegal trawling and dredging by a very rapidly growing sector of multi-purpose small boats, resulting in a considerable increase in the overall accumulated engine power of fishing boats in Samsun during 2000–2005. Fisheries in Samsun, in particular sea snail fisheries, have constituted a frontier of sorts open to the poorer populations of Samsun during the last 20 years, and, thereby, constitute one of the major drivers for fishing pressure. We identify eight drivers of importance for the period 2000–2005. Although the authorities can impact all or most of those drivers, most of them are beyond the scope of conventional ‘fisheries management’.     

Impacts of climate change on commercial fish stocks in Norwegian waters

The Norwegian fishing areas extend over various marine ecosystems that will respond differently to climate change. In the North Sea the productivity of the boreal fish species are likely to decrease under global warming and new warm-water species are expected to become more abundant. In the arctic marine ecosystem of the Barents Sea the fish productivity is expected to increase and their distributions expand northward and eastward under global warming increasing the importance of the Russian as well as the Norwegian sectors of the Barents. In the past, decadal-scale climate variations have been shown to strongly influence productivity and distributions of fish stocks. The importance of such shorter-term variations are expected to continue also under global warming. Under global warming the optimum temperature for fish farming along the Norwegian coast will be displaced northwards from the northern part of West Norway towards the Helgeland coast.     

Determining primary and companion species in a multi-species fishery: Implications for TAC setting

The use of ITQ management in multi-species fisheries has been the subject of much debate and the complexities and difficulties of managing multi-species fisheries are well known. A major problem is that the species mix in fishery catches may not necessarily match the mix in combined TACs or in quota holdings. While a number of solutions have been proposed or implemented to improve transferability of quota and other incentives to reduce over-quota fishing and discarding, it is surprising that there has been little focus on TAC-setting itself and coordinating this across multiple species/stocks as a means of dealing with some of these issues. In this paper, data were analysed from the trawl sector of the Australian Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery to determine the relationship between primary species and companion species and the implications this has for TAC setting. The primary species is the species being considered when setting an individual species TAC. The companion species are ones that should also be considered when setting the TAC of the primary species, because a considerable proportion of the primary species catch is taken as a companion species non-target catch. The target species in each fishing operation was determined and was used to characterize recent multi-species catch data into primary and companion components. This approach provides an empirical means to examine the impact of individual species TAC decisions across all of the quota species in a fishery.     

Ecosystem modelling in the southern Benguela: comparisons of Atlantis,Ecopath with Ecosim,and OSMOSE under fishing scenarios

Ecosystem-based management of marine fisheries requires the use of simulation modelling to investigate the system-level impact of candidate fisheries management strategies. However, testing of fundamental assumptions such as system structure or process formulations is rarely done. In this study, we compare the output of three different ecosystem models (Atlantis, Ecopath with Ecosim, and OSMOSE) applied to the same ecosystem (the southern Benguela), to explore which ecosystem effects of fishing are most sensitive to model uncertainty. We subjected the models to two contrasting fishing pressure scenarios, applying high fishing pressure to either small pelagic fish or to adult hake. We compared the resulting model behaviour at a system level, and also at the level of model groups. We analysed the outputs in terms of various commonly used ecosystem indicators, and found some similarities in the overall behaviour of the models, despite major differences in model formulation and assumptions. Direction of change in system-level indicators was consistent for all models under the hake pressure scenario, although discrepancies emerged under the small-pelagic-fish scenario. Studying biomass response of individual model groups was key to understanding more integrated system-level metrics. All three models are based on existing knowledge of the system, and the convergence of model results increases confidence in the robustness of the model outputs. Points of divergence in the model results suggest important areas of future study. The use of feeding guilds to provide indicators for fish species at an aggregated level was explored, and proved to be an interesting alternative to aggregation by trophic level.