Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region is intended for all who do research in and monitoring of marine ecosystems in the Arctic. It presents accounts for 205 species with maps of global distribution and descriptions of morphology and habitat, as well as a photographic identification guide. Information on 24 other species present only in the fringes of the Arctic Region or taxonomically problematic is given in the introductions to the fish families. As the Arctic continues to warm, more cold-temperate species are expected to enter the region and the distribution of true Arctic species will likely retract as the area of ice-covered cold water shrinks. The maps in this atlas can be used to compare future changes in distributions. The identification guide will be particularly helpful for identifying cold-water species, since fewer identification tools are available for this group of fishes.
This atlas and guide presents results of the Russian American Long-Term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA) fish investigations conducted by bottom trawl in the Pacific Arctic region northward from Bering Strait. Species accounts provide documentation of the biodiversity and geographic distribution baselines with maps supported by citation of voucher specimens, catch records, and literature; habitat and morphological descriptions; and remarks on taxonomic issues with implications from DNA barcoding. Pages of fish photographs with labeled features are grouped separately in an identification guide.
