Ichthyofaunal Baselines in the Pacific Arctic Region and RUSALCA Study Area
Oceanography
28(3): 158-189
Publication
Baselines review paper documenting issues with the genus Eumicrotremus in the Arctic and the Atlantic.
At the beginning of the Russian–American Long-Term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA) program in 2003, the composition and characteristics of the Paci c Arctic marine sh fauna and distribution of the species were poorly known compared with knowledge on the sh fauna of warmer waters. e mission for ichthyological investigations in the RUSALCA program has been to provide information necessary to construct zoogeographic and taxonomic baselines against which change may be detected. Our methods have involved examining historical sh collections in museums and identifying fresh samples secured on RUSALCA scienti c expeditions and those of other programs, and DNA barcoding. is paper presents the rst modern, comprehensive, well-founded inventory of the marine sh species in the Paci c Arctic region and its subregions; evaluates each species’ zoogeographic pattern, primary distribution, biotype, and life zone; and highlights some of the positive results of our investigations in the rst decade of the program as well as new and persistent problems identi ed that need further investigation.
