ISRA FACTSHEETS
ISRA FACTSHEETS
POLAR WATERS REGION
Jaerkysten
Summary
Jaerkysten sits in southern Norway in the North Sea. The area is characterised by a shallow shelf which encompasses sandy substrates, pebbles and boulder deposits, and a rich kelp forest ecosystem. The area overlaps with the Jaerkysten Marine Protected Area and Jaeren Key Biodiversity Area. Within this area there are: threatened species and undefined aggregations (Spiny Dogfish Squalus acanthias).
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Jaerkysten
DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT
Jaerkysten is located in Klepp, southern Norway. The area covers the shelf influenced by strong waves and currents. A shallow shelf encompassing sandy substrates, pebbles and boulder deposits, along with a rich kelp forest ecosystem, provides high biological diversity and acts as an important foraging ground for many species (Klima- og miljødepartementet 2016).
The area overlaps with the Jaerkysten Marine Protected Area (Klima- og miljødepartementet 2016) and Jaeren Key Biodiversity Area (KBA 2024).
This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthic and pelagic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 40 m based on the bathymetry of the area.
CRITERION A
VULNERABILITY
One Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species regularly occurs in the area. This is the Vulnerable Spiny Dogfish (Finucci et al. 2020).
CRITERION C
SUB-CRITERION C5 – UNDEFINED AGGREGATIONS
Jarekysten is an important area for undefined aggregations of one shark species.
Since 2011, seasonal aggregations of Spiny Dogfish have been observed in the area. Based on local ecological knowledge from the diving community, these aggregations occur regularly and predictably every year at the same time and have been featured in the local news. Large aggregations of hundreds of animals occur between mid–June and mid–July around the kelp forest outside of Reve in Klepp. According to observers, these aggregations consist mostly of females, and many of them are potentially pregnant (Fehn & Stenberg 2011; Lien & Ellingsen 2012; Stenberg 2014; Følleso 2017; Rossland 2020). Spiny Dogfish are known to aggregate and segregate by sex and size (Ebert et al. 2021). The area also includes two locations known by local fishers where large Spiny Dogfish have been captured (Andrade et al. 2023).
Local divers consider that the aggregations of Spiny Dogfish could be related to parturition (Rossland 2020). It has also been hypothesised that schools of medium-sized female Spiny Dogfish migrate to optimize somatic and foetal growth (Albert et al. 2019). Further information is required to understand the nature and function of these aggregations.
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